The diagnostic process of covıd-19 in the emergency department: laboratory and ımaging methods

Area of Science:

• Medical Research
• Infectious Diseases
• Clinical Diagnostics

Background:

• The 2019 Novel Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) presents a significant challenge to healthcare systems.
• Early identification of severe cases is vital for outbreak control and patient prognosis.
• Inflammatory markers are often assessed in patients with suspected COVID-19.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the predictive value of inflammatory markers for COVID-19 diagnosis using PCR and CT scans.
• To investigate the role of hematological and biochemical parameters in early COVID-19 patient stratification.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 133 patients with suspected COVID-19 admitted to an emergency department.
• Patients were categorized into four groups based on reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and computed tomography (CT) results.
• Evaluation of laboratory findings, including white blood cell, neutrophil, platelet, and lymphocyte counts.

Main Results:

• No specific findings were observed in routine hematological and biochemical analyses across all patients.
• Significant differences in white blood cell, neutrophil, platelet, and lymphocyte values were noted between patient groups (p < 0.05).
• These laboratory values remained within the normal reference range despite observed differences.

Conclusions:

• Standard laboratory tests lack sufficient specificity for pre-diagnosis of COVID-19.
• The diagnostic utility of these laboratory markers does not change with positive PCR or CT results.
• Minimal alterations in laboratory results may provide partial guidance for patients with confirmed COVID-19 (positive PCR and CT).