Preparation of a radiology department in an Italian hospital dedicated to COVID-19 patients

• Published in: Radiologia medica Vol. 125; no. 9; pp. 894 - 901
• Main Authors: Ierardi, Anna Maria, Wood, Bradford J., Arrichiello, Antonio, Bottino, Nicola, Bracchi, Laura, Forzenigo, Laura, Andrisani, Maria Carmela, Vespro, Valentina, Bonelli, Cristian, Amalou, Amel, Turkbey, Evrim B., Turkbey, Baris I., Granata, Giuseppe, Pinto, Antonio, Grasselli, Giacomo, Stocchetti, Nino, Carrafiello, Gianpaolo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Milan Springer Milan 01-09-2020; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Betacoronavirus; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - prevention & control; Coronavirus Infections - therapy; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Critical care; Cross Infection - prevention & control; Diagnostic Radiology; Health care; Health care facilities; Hospital Design and Construction; Hospital facilities; Hospitals, Isolation - organization & administration; Humans; Imaging; Intensive Care Units - organization & administration; Interventional Radiology; Italy - epidemiology; Logistics; Medical personnel; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Neuroradiology; Pandemics; Pandemics - prevention & control; Personal Protective Equipment; Personnel Staffing and Scheduling - organization & administration; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - prevention & control; Pneumonia, Viral - therapy; Radiography; Radiology; Radiology Department, Hospital - organization & administration; SARS-CoV-2; Short Communication; Tomography, X-Ray Computed - instrumentation; Ultrasonography; Ultrasound; Viral diseases; Italy; COVID-19; Radiology; Pandemic; SARS-CoV-2; Hospital
• ISSN: 0033-8362; 1826-6983
• DOI: 10.1007/s11547-020-01248-1

Preparedness for the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its spread in Italy called for setting up of adequately equipped and dedicated health facilities to manage sick patients while protecting healthcare workers, uninfected patients, and the community. In our country, in a short time span, the demand for critical care beds exceeded supply. A new sequestered hospital completely dedicated to intensive care (IC) for isolated COVID-19 patients needed to be designed, constructed, and deployed. Along with this new initiative, the new concept of “Pandemic Radiology Unit” was implemented as a practical solution to the emerging crisis, born out of a critical and urgent acute need. The present article describes logistics, planning, and practical design issues for such a pandemic radiology and critical care unit (e.g., space, infection control, safety of healthcare workers, etc.) adopted in the IC Hospital Unit for the care and management of COVID-19 patients.