Tutorial presented by Dr Katie Pink, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine.

Patients who have been admitted with the clinical syndrome compatible with COVID-19, as well as radiological changes of COVID-19 pneumonia, should be followed up according to the BTS guidelines (linked below).

We can group patients according to the severity of their disease and potential complications of COVID-19, to determine the level of follow-up required:

• Mild to moderate COVID-19 pneumonia, including those who have been managed as in-patients on a general medical ward requiring low flow rates of oxygen, or those managed in the community
• Severe COVID-19 pneumonia, including those patients who required CPAP therapy or admission to intensive care

The long-term complications of COVID-19 are, as yet, unknown, but likely to include fibrotic lung damage, and pulmonary vascular abnormalities, and this should guide the follow-up of patients. There are also likely to be rehabilitation needs in these patients, including reconditioning and psychological support.

There will also be a proportion of patients that have been managed in primary care who could be at risk of long-term complications, and these patients should also be considered for onward referral to respiratory teams if the chest x-ray is abnormal at 12-weeks or there is ongoing breathlessness.