Ebola research

[macawake, MSN]

This is a very detailed and informative case study on the medical treatment provided for an epidemiologist working for the WHO in Sierra Leone, who was infected with the Ebola Virus Disease. He was transported to Hamburg, Germany for treatment and has now despite several serious complications, made a complete recovery. The patient was treated with routine intensive care, no experimental therapies were used.

The article is published in the New England Journal of Medicine and the included Supplementary Appendix contains a ton of information. (The appendix lists information (for this specific patient) like clinical presentation, timeline of drugs and supportive therapy, radiologic findings and laboratory parameters during the course of the illness).

For any healthcare professional interested in the presentation and treatment of EVD, this is a highly interesting article.

http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1411677#t=article

http://www.nejm.org/doi/suppl/10.1056/NEJMoa1411677/suppl_file/nejmoa1411677_appendix.pdf

[emtb2rn, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

This may be a dumb question but given the virus is found in sweat, can it be absorbed through unbroken non-mucous membrane skin? Just thinking about that symptomatic pt walking through the front door of the er.

[icuRNmaggie, BSN, RN]

The patients that I had in 2011 who died of H1N1 all had a GNR sepsis.

Good information. Thank you.