COVID-19 Research & Innovation

Researchers test antibody drug as treatment for COVID-19

Andra Blomkalns, MD, MBA et al

Stanford Medicine, with leadership from Andra Blomkalns, MD, MBA, chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine  has joined a multisite clinical trial testing antibodies designed to block the coronavirus from infecting human cells and shorten the course of the illness. Learn more

Telemedicine to Decrease Personal Protective Equipment Use and Protect Healthcare Workers (Western Journal of Emergency Medicine)

Ryan Ribeira, MD, MPH; Sam Shen, MD, MBA; Patrice Callagy, RN, MPA, MSN, CEN; Jennifer Newberry, MD, JD, MSc; Matthew Strehlow, MD; James Quinn, MD, M

This commentary describes the emergency department (ED) effort to safely limit PPE use and decrease the risk of illness to providers by implementing telemedicine to care for patients already within department walls.

Rates of Co-infection Between SARS-CoV-2 and Other Respiratory Pathogens (JAMA)

David Kim, MD, PhD; James Quinn, MD, MS; Ian Brown, MD, MS; et al

In this critical study, the team reports on co-infection rates between SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens in Northern California. These results suggest higher rates of co-infection between SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory pathogens than previously reported, with no significant difference in rates of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients with and without other pathogens. The presence of a non–SARS-CoV-2 pathogen may not provide reassurance that a patient does not also have SARS-CoV-2.

Characteristics of Emergency Department Patients With COVID‐19 at a Single Site in Northern California: Clinical Observations and Public Health Implications (Academic Emergency Medicine)

Youyou Duanmu MD, MPH Ian P. Brown MD, MS William R. Gibb MD Jessica Singh MD Loretta W. Matheson MS Andra L. Blomkalns MD, MBA Prasanthi Govindarajan MBBS, MAS

Validation of specimen self-collection vs. collection by health care worker for COVID-19 testing (Funded by the Gates Foundation)

Yvonne Maldonado, MD; Jonathan Altamirano; Prasanthi Govindarajan, MD, and Andra Blomkalns, MD

Maldonado, Altamirano, Govindarajan and Blomkalns are investigating three swab techniques used during COVID-19 testing: a self-collected nasal swab performed with the aid of an instruction sheet; a health care worker-collected nasal swab; and a health care worker-collected oropharyngeal swab. Should self-collected nasal swabs prove as effective as those collected by health care workers, patients may be able to safely and effectively collect specimens outside of health care settings. The FDA has issued a new guidance based on the results of concordance. 

Natural history of shedding and household transmission of COVID-19: Constructing patterns of viral spread and evolution
Yvonne Maldonado, MD; Jonathan Altamirano; Prasanthi Govindarajan, MD, and Andra Blomkalns, MD

The team is combining genomic and epidemiologic data to address questions about the transmission and evolutionary dynamics of COVID-19. They are using patient-collected lower nasal swabs from COVID positive patients and their families to understand the transmission and shedding patterns within household.

Stanford Emergency Department Biobank
Sam Yang, MD; James Quinn, MD, MS; Jennifer A Newberry, MD, JD;  Andra Blomkalns, MD, MBA

Stanford Emergency Medicine just launched their COVID-19 Biobank as part of a larger institutional initiative, Stanford Medicine COVID-19 Biobank, that will provide Stanford researchers to a repository of biospecimens and data in order to accelerate discoveries that can lead to better prediction, prevention, and treatment of COVID-19. An additional innovation is the use of our in-room Telehealth to complete live tele-consents while the patients are still in the ED.