Abstract
BackgroundDuring the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, due to the traffic blockade and the shortage of medical resources, more and more premature infants could not receive timely and effective ROP screening, which delayed treatment and even caused children blindness. Therefore, how to carry out ROP screening safely and effectively during the epidemic was very important and urgent. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of ROP screening assisted by telemedicine network during COVID-19 outbreak.MethodsThis retrospective study was conducted at Wuhan Children’s hospital in Wuhan, China, from January to October, 2020. The measures which were performed to make the ROP screening more safe and effective were summarized and the comparison between ROP screening assisted by telemedicine network in 2020 and usual screening in 2019 were analyzed.ResultsA total of 267 outpatient infants completed ROP screening. The median gestational age was 32 weeks (30w to 34w) and the median birth weight was 1780 g (1460 g to 2100 g). Meanwhile, 149 (55.8%) out of 267 infants were males. During January to May in 2020, 86 screening appointments were received, among which 67 (77.9%) were from telemedicine platform online. The completing percentage of total online ROP appointments was higher than that of total face-to-face appointments (58.1% VS 22. 1%, P = 0.018). As for the number of infants screened between 2020 and 2019 from Februaryto October, 54 infants completed ROP screening in 2020, which was higher than that (51participants) in 2019 on September. Furthermore, compared with the usual screening in 2019, ROP screening assisted by telemedicine network in 2020 had smaller gestational age (32w VS 33w, p<0.001) and lower birth weight (1780 g VS 1900 g, p = 0.001). However, of the 267 infants screened, 18(6.7%) had ROP while the percentage of ROP screened in 2019 was the same (44[6.7%]). During follow-up, none of medical staffs was infected and no adverse reaction was reported.ConclusionsThe screening for retinopathy of prematurity assisted by telemedicine network was safe and feasible during the COVID-19 pandemic. Preventive measures before and after screening were very necessary, which could effectively avoid cross infection.
Highlights
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, due to the traffic blockade and the shortage of medical resources, more and more premature infants could not receive timely and effective Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) screening, which delayed treatment and even caused children blindness
The screening for retinopathy of prematurity assisted by telemedicine network was safe and feasible during the COVID-19 pandemic
Retinopathy of prematurity (ROP) is one of the severe diseases of childhood blindness, accounting for 6–18% worldwide [1].ROP screening for premature infants as soon as possible is necessary and significant
Summary
During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, due to the traffic blockade and the shortage of medical resources, more and more premature infants could not receive timely and effective ROP screening, which delayed treatment and even caused children blindness. How to carry out ROP screening safely and effectively during the epidemic was very important and urgent. This study aimed to evaluate the safety and feasibility of ROP screening assisted by telemedicine network during COVID-19 outbreak
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