What information has been gained through autopsies of coronavirus patients?
QuickTake by Bloomberg provide some insight into the novel coronavirus, known as Covid-19 or SARS-CoV-2, which was gained by conducting autopsies on those who have sadly died from the virus.
A series of autopsies conducted on deceased COVID-19 patients have revealed some important insights which must be considered in the clinical treatment of the disease, according to the forensic doctor responsible for the autopsies.
Liu Liang, a professor of legal medicine at the Tongji Medical College in Wuhan, the epicenter of the outbreak since mid-December, revealed some of the findings during a recent interview with China Central Television (CCTV).
On Feb. 16, Liu’s team performed the first autopsy surgery on a deceased patient who succumbed to lung disease brought on by the viral pneumonia. The team published the first autopsy report of its kind by releasing a preview version on Friday. So far, Chinese scientists have dissected 12 bodies, nine of which were conducted by Liu’s team.
The pathological findings show COVID-19 has similarities to the severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) which originated in 2002-3, but the disease also has its own characteristics, said Liu. According to the autopsy report, the disease mainly causes distal alveolar damages, and a large amount of sticky mucus secretion was found in the deceased patients’ airways and in the lungs, an issue which should be addressed during treatment.
“[The secretion] is very sticky. It attaches to [the lung] like paste. This may reflect that the patient had mucus secretion in the early state, which is different from what we called ‘catarrh’–the symptom like thin clear snivel from an ordinary cold or virus infection. So what does it reflect? The mucus was in the deep-seated airway. If we don’t give targeted treatment, it may be counter-productive,” said Liu.
Liu stressed that the information gained from the autopsy will prove very important in helping researchers and doctors improve medical treatment plans for patients.
“For example, a normal lung touches like a sponge because it contains air. But a lung [infected by novel coronavirus] doesn’t touch like this. It’s no longer a lung – it’s a consolidation. Something else refilled in the lung. So you must know what the pathological change is and give targeted treatment. Otherwise it will be useless, like delivering oxygen through a blocked path. You must unblock the road before sending a vehicle,” said Liu.
Due to a lack of comprehensive pathological information, researchers have been unable to make exact judgement on the pathogenesis of COVID-19 as well as the damages it causes to organs. Though Liu had been calling for conducting autopsies to deceased patients, it remains a very dangerous procedure which could expose the virus.
QuickTake by Bloomberg YouTube Channel
