Physiotherapy Care in Oncology Patient with COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19, a disease caused by the new coronavirus, is of great concern due to the high standard of lethality, mortality and transmissibility, and a challenge to health professionals for presenting flu-like conditions that can rapidly evolve to severe pneumonia or severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS- CoV-2). The Cancer is a disease with risk factors very similar to cardiorespiratory and metabolic diseases, which associated with the side effects of antineoplastic treatment or tumor progression, makes these patients susceptible to more serious complications of COVID-19 infection. In addition, complications common to cancer patients can be aggravated by the pathophysiological mechanisms involved in COVID-19, such as: respiratory compromise generated by the production of inflammatory cytokines and alveolar pneumoconiosis that accelerate the evolution to pneumonia; increase in the production of D-dimer and reduction of fibrinogen, causing the thrombolytic factor to be greater, justifying events due to thromboembolism; a possible hemolytic cause that hemoglobin loses iron and decreases its capacity to carry oxygen, causing oxygen desaturation and refractory hypoxemia. Physiotherapy has as main line of action the adequacy of ventilatory support, in the most severe patients. With a focus on cancer patients, it should be based on symptoms and clinical limitations for the adequacy of activities, favor mechanical prophylaxis, to reduce the risk of deep vein thrombosis, assess slow progression and monitor vital signs,