Cross-discipline collaboration key to Shanghai's fight against novel coronavirus

A multidisciplinary team comprising medical professionals who specialize in the treatment of different diseases has been pivotal in Shanghai's fight against the novel coronavirus pneumonia, said a leading expert on Monday.

Lu Hongzhou, a member on the national expert team of medical treatment of NCP and a professor from the Shanghai Public Health Clinic Center, where confirmed NCP cases in Shanghai are treated, said that the combination of doctors and nurses specializing in respiratory and infectious diseases as well as those from other departments such as cardiology, gastroenterology, geriatrics and anesthesiology has proven to be vital in customizing treatments for patients infected with the virus.

He pointed out that this cooperation between the medical professionals is also one of the main reasons why nearly half of the confirmed patients in Shanghai have been cured and discharged from hospital.

"Doctors from different leading hospitals have participated and formed a new unified team here," he said.

"For example, Ruijin Hospital, which is known for its expertise in respiration matters, has sent a group of doctors to the center, and Zhongshan Hospital has also provided a team that is experienced in ECMO operations."

By 12 pm on Monday, 161 patients, including four children, of the 332 confirmed cases in Shanghai have been cured and discharged from hospital. There is currently only one fatality in Shanghai.

According to the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission, the only person in the city who lost his life after getting infected with the novel coronavirus was an 88-year-old man who had pre-existing health conditions such as severe hypertension, kidney disease and dysfunctional heart and lung functions.

The clinical use of Traditional Chinese Medicine has been another defining characteristic of Shanghai's approach to treating those infected with the virus, Lu said. There are currently more than 10 TCM doctors working in the wards and prescribing TCM therapies to the patients.

"More than 90 percent of the patients discharged had undergone TCM therapies. All the patients who are currently warded are undergoing such therapies too," Lu said.