How to do OPG/CBCT in a COVID Patient





Covid-19 pandemic has engulfed the entire world and it represents a significant risk to health care workers. This may place an extra burden on healthcare environments. Radiography is an integral part of Dental treatment and can be a need for the hour for COVID-19 infected patients. Saliva carries an increased viral load, hence placing X-ray films inside the mouth should be avoided in the current scenario. OPG serves as a versatile screening radiograph to carry out investigations. Taking OPG for a COVID-19 the patient is possible if all the preventive measures are taken.

The OPG area should be prepared before and after every patient with a sodium hypochlorite solution. The chin rest, headrest, and armrests are to be covered with disposable plastic sheets and need to be removed after every patient. Modifications have to be made while taking OPG, firstly, bite block not to be used while carrying out OPG procedure so that nothing is contaminated with saliva. Secondly, a plastic sheet should be mounted from the ceiling to the floor to create a barrier between the patient and the operator. Thirdly opening to be created in the plastic sheet for positioning the patient and handling the control panel and lastly, in order to increase the physical distance from the patient, two flat metallic scales covered with disposables should be used to position the patient comfortably. Also, another metallic scale with a blunt-ended extension can be used to monitor the contrary rests



The patient should be made to wear a head cap, shoe covers, gloves, and disposable gowns and the operator must wear a PPE kit while handling the patient. After completion of the OPG procedure, all the disposables should be placed in a yellow bag and tagged COVID -19. In a similar manner, CBCTs can also be taken for the patients.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Weather and Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

Ambient temperature and air pollution are associated with cardiovascular diseases. One of the concepts associated with weather is Heart Rate Variability (HRV). In a layman language HRV is simply a measure of the variation in time between each heartbeat or a physiological phenomenon of the variation in the time interval between consecutive heartbeats. Some situations result in high HRV and some may cause low HRV. Why HRV measurement is important? The variation in HRV is controlled by a primitive part of the nervous system called the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS). ANS regulates our internal organs such as heart rate, blood pressure, breathing, and digestion. The ANS is subdivided into two components, the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous system functions. The sympathetic nervous system (SNS) prepares the body for intense physical activity. On the other hand, the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) relaxes the body and inhibits or slows many high energy functi...
Read more

Cupping Therapy in Ayurveda - Indian Medical System

Image
Ayurveda is a rich science which has various time tested methods for pain management without medicines. Though Ayurveda had abundant examples of potent analgesics with a prevalence of western modern science, all vanished or have been banned by the government, marking those medicines as illegal as many of them are used as substance abused drugs. Therefore in recent decades, Ayurvedic physicians switched on to para-surgical procedures like leech therapy, Alabuchikitsa, Agnikarma, Marmachikitsa, etc. Shrunga and Alabu are types of cupping that have been described as different treatment modalities for bloodletting in different vitiated doshas. Alabuchikitsa which is commonly known as Cupping therapy is the oldest & most globally practiced medical treatment in human history. It is a traditional, time-honored treatment that remains favored by millions of people all over the world. It is a gentle therapy that uses negative pressure helping to loosen adhesions & draining fluids &...
Read more

Breast Cancer: A General Swot Up - SGT University

Breast cancer as the name suggests is cancer in the cells of the breast. Breast cancer is the second most diagnosed cancer in women after skin cancer, worldwide. Breast cancer can occur both in men and women, but women are more affected. Many initiatives in being made in making people aware of this ailment and research funding have helped create advances in this direction. The mortality rate related to this disease is declining and survival rates are increasing due to several reasons such as early detection, the personalized approach and a better understanding of the disease. Let’s do a quick swot up in the subject:- Types 1.     Angiosarcoma 2.     Ductal carcinoma in situ 3.     Inflammatory breast   cancer 4.     Invasive lobular carcinoma 5.     Lobular carcinoma in situ(LCIS) 6.     Male breast cancer 7.     Paget’s disease of the breast 8.  ...
Read more