MEDICAL SCIENCES
COVID-19 from Bench to Bedside Why deep understanding of human physiology may help doctors deter the virus? The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) causing Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome was considered responsible for the huge number of respiratory tract infections leading to severe respiratory failure in many cases. The COVID-19–induced failure of central mechanisms controlling breathing and circulation may explain the mismatch between the clinical symptoms and the objective physiologic life parameters in many patients. A better understanding of the complex physiologic and pathophysiologic mechanisms implicated in the detrimental COVID-19 impact on the various human body systems should facilitate decision-makers to work out brand-new therapies. Moreover, a profound investigation of the human immune system and coronavirus interactions may help scientists build an effective and safe vaccine that seems to be one of the few reasonable options to prevent future coronavirus pandemics. Robert Skalik, Consultant Cardiologist, Exercise Physiologist Senior Lecturer in Human Physiology, Wroclaw Medical University
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he novel coronavirus (COVID19) causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARSCoV-2) was considered responsible for the huge number of respiratory tract infections leading to severe respiratory and systemic complications in many cases all over the world. Much to the surprise of many physicians, the effectiveness of conventional intensive care therapies (e.g. mechanical ventilation) is below expectation in the respectable number of COVID-19
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A SI A N H O S P I T A L & H EA LT HCAR HCA R E M A N AGE M E N T
patients suffering from acute respiratory failure. Doctors and decision-makers have realised that Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), emergency lung transplantation or other non-conventional therapies might be the last resort for some critically ill patients. The basic science, laboratory and experimental studies on the interactions between the virus and human systems supported by new IT technologies may contribute to the containment of the disease and
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its detrimental clinical consequences like never before. The implementation of human physiology knowledge and its rules may help doctors and scientists find more efficient diagnostic and treatment tools in COVID-19 patients. To date, it is known that the COVID-19 infection may range from asymptomatic or poorly symptomatic course to an almost bizarre deterioration of life parameters (asymptomatic hypoxemia) through
