As the world witnessed the rapid spread of SARS-CoV-2, the World Health Organization has called for governing bodies worldwide to intensify case findings, contact tracing, monitoring, and quarantine or isolation of contacts with COVID-19. Drive-through (DT) screening is a form of case detection which has recently gain preference globally. Proper implementation of this system can help remediate the outbreak.
The year 2020 saw the emergence of a novel coronavirus-the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2- which has led to an unprecedented pandemic that has shaken the entire world. The pandemic has been a new experience for Malaysia, especially during the implementation of large-scale public health and social measures called the Movement Control Order (MCO). This paper seeks to describe the experiences of the Malaysian healthcare system thus far in combatting the pandemic. The Malaysian healthcare system comprises two main arms: public health and medicine. The public health arm focuses on early disease detection, contact tracing, quarantines, the MCO, and risk stratification strategies in the community. The medical arm focuses on the clinical management of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients; it encompasses laboratory services, the devising of clinical setting adjustments, and hospital management for COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients. Malaysia experienced intense emotions at the beginning of the pandemic, with great uncertainty regarding the pandemic's outcome, as the world saw a frighteningly high COVID-19 mortality. As of writing (May 30, 2020), Malaysia has passed the peak of its second wave of infections. The experience thus far has helped in preparing the country's healthcare system to be vigilant and more prepared for future COVID-19 waves. To date, the pandemic has changed many aspects of Malaysia's life, and people are still learning to adapt to new norms in their lives.
Tracheal tear after endotracheal intubation is extremely rare. The role of silicone Y-stent in the management of tracheal injury has been documented in the previous studies. However, none of the studies have mentioned the deployment of silicone Y-stent via rigid bronchoscope with the patient solely supported by extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) without general anaesthesia delivered via the side port of the rigid bronchoscope. We report a patient who had a tracheal tear due to endotracheal tube migration following a routine video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery sympathectomy, which was successfully managed with silicone Y-stent insertion. Procedure was done while she was undergoing ECMO; hence, no ventilator connection to the side port of the rigid scope was required. This was our first experience in performing Y-stent insertion fully under ECMO, and the patient had a successful recovery.
Teratomas of anterior mediastinum are rare. They are often slow growing, asymptomatic, and detected incidentally on chest imaging. Mycobacterium abscessus (M. abscessus) is an acid-fast bacillus that is classified as a pathogenic "rapid growing" non-tuberculous mycobacteria. It is an uncommon cause of human pathology, which may cause skin and soft tissue infection after skin injury following inoculation, minor trauma, and surgery. Here, we present an unusual case of benign cystic teratoma mimicking recurrent pleural effusion, which was subsequently complicated by M. abscessus infection following thoracotomy. Cystic teratoma is rare, but it needs to be considered whenever clinical and investigative work-up fails to provide a convincing diagnosis. A combined clinical, radiological, surgical, and histopathological assessment is important to arrive at the correct diagnosis. Rapidly growing mycobacteria needs to be included in the differential diagnosis of patients with non-resolving infected post-thoracotomy wound and who do not respond to broad-spectrum antibiotics.