Early Tracheostomy in Trauma Patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome due to Novel Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‑CoV‑2) was first reported in Wuhan, China in December 2019 [1, 2] and was rapidly spread all over the world, being announced as a pandemic on March 11^th, 2020 by the World Health Organization (WHO) [3]. Approaching the mid of August, approximately 20 million people are infected worldwide and 720,000 have died due to the infection and its complications [4]. The virus causes respiratory infection and involves both the upper and lower respiratory tract as well as the gastrointestinal tract, hepatic, neurologic and renal systems [5].