Title:Persistent/Late Complications of COVID-19 in Affected Emergency Medical
Technicians: A Case Series and Brief Literature Review
Volume: 18
Issue: 2
Author(s): Peyman Saberian, Behshad Pazooki, Zahra Shajari, Parisa Hasani-Sharamin, Mahnaz Jamshididana, Somayeh Karimi and Alireza Baratloo*
Affiliation:
- Prehospital and Hospital Emergency Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Keywords:
COVID-19, emergency medical technicians, persisting symptoms, follow-up, CT scans, complications.
Abstract:
Background: The present study aimed to assess the prevalence of persistent/late complications
after recovery from the acute phase of COVID-19 in emergency medical technicians
(EMTs).
Methods: This is a cross-sectional case-series study performed during the last quarter of 2020 in
Tehran, Iran. All EMTs who had been diagnosed with COVID-19 were eligible. The researcher
contacted the EMTs via telephone to determine any complications following their recovery. Those
who suffered from any complication were referred to an internal specialist physician for a detailed
history and physical examination. Based on the physician’s opinion, some paraclinical or clinical
evaluations were requested to be performed.
Results: Four hundred thirty-one confirmed cases and two deaths due to this disease were registered
among the Tehran EMS center’s EMTs during the study period. Two hundred thirty-eight EMTs
were contacted, and 22.7% of them had at least one persistent/late complication following recovery
of the acute phase of COVID-19; of whom, 28 EMTs were visited by an internist and completed the
tests. The final participants mentioned seventy-five persistent/late complications. Only one EMT
had a residual lesion among those who underwent lung CT scans. There were also some pathological
findings in the echocardiographic examination and spirometry.
Conclusion: Our study showed that persistent/late-onset complications could likely accompany by
COVID-19.