Luigi Cavanna is an Italian doctor. He is the head of the hematology and oncology ward at the Guglielmo da Saliceto hospital in Piacenza, Emilia-Romagna.[1][2][3]
Luigi Cavanna | |
|---|---|
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | oncology |
| Institutions | Hospital of Piacenza |
COVID-19 pandemic edit
During the second week of March 2020, in the beginning of the pandemic lockdown in Italy, Cavanna realized that too many critically-ill COVID-19 patients were arriving at his hospital and that they could have been treated earlier before the escalation of the symptoms.[4] He therefore became one of the first doctors in Italy to focus on house calls for COVID-19 patients.[5][6][7]
Despite his age, Cavanna visited his patients in their homes in the province of Piacenza, wearing full-body protective gear.[8][9] His protocol focuses on chest ultrasound with portable equipment,[6][9] a rapid start of treatment, and remote monitoring of blood oxygen level.[10][11] Early in the pandemic, Cavanna was also in favor of the use of hydroxychloroquine for COVID-19 home-bound patients.[12][4]
According to the data he collected during the pandemic, fewer than 5% of the patients he treated at home worsened to the point where they had to be hospitalized,[13][14] thus proving that a response in the early days could make a difference[15] and helped the hospitals by freeing up space for patients who could not be treated at home.[8]
Due to his efforts, Cavanna became famous internationally.[6] He also received national recognition. In July 2020 he was given the title of poliziotto ad honorem (ad honorem policeman) by the Polizia di Stato,[16] in October he received a special award of the Italian association of Medical Oncology[17] and in December he was elected as a positive symbol by the Coalizione Italiana Libertà e Diritti Civili. (Italian Coalition for Freedom and Civil Rights)[11]
Cavanna was also author of one of the first studies of oncology treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic outside China, published on Future Oncology in May 2020.[15][18]
References edit
- ^ "Benefattore dona un milione all'ospedale" (in Italian). La Provincia di Cremona. 19 December 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ "Coronavirus: neue Methoden zur Behandlung in Italien" (in German). Euronews. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ La Vita in Diretta - I racconti da un paese unito nell'emergenza (in Italian). Rai Uno.
- ^ a b Berardi, Francesca (9 April 2020). "The Italian Doctor Flattening the Curve by Treating COVID-19 Patients in Their Homes". Time. Retrieved 22 December 2020.
- ^ "Italy's doctors face new threat: Conspiracy theories". Retrieved 22 December 2020.[permanent dead link]
- ^ a b c Schiavi, Giangiacomo (20 May 2019). "Luigi Cavanna, un medico in famiglia Ha salvato i pazienti, casa per casa" (in Italian). Corriere della Sera. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ Bianchini, Veronica (26 November 2020). "Un angelo alla mia porta, il medico che cura il Covid casa per casa". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ a b Pele, Charlene; Calanni, Antonio (13 December 2020). "AP PHOTOS: Italian doctors fighting pandemic in rural areas". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ a b ARD-Mittagsmagazin (in German). Das Erste. 4 December 2020. 33 minutes in. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ Mishra, Pratapaditya (17 August 2020). "Battling Corona: taking a leaf out of the Italian book" (in Italian). OrissaPOST. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ a b Cild - Coalizione Italiana Libertà e Diritti civili (21 December 2020). "Storie di solidarietà: il medico che ha ispirato il "modello Piacenza" per aiutare i malati di Covid". La Repubblica. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
- ^ D'Angelo, Peter. "Coronavirus – Da Nord a Sud 1039 pazienti trattati a casa con idrossiclorochina. Il punto sulla sperimentazione: "Crollo dei ricoveri"" (in Italian). Il Fatto Quotidiano. Retrieved 25 December 2020.
- ^ De Lorenzo, Giuseppe; Indini, Andrea (8 May 2020). "Coronavirus, il metodo che evita la strage: "Nessun paziente è morto"" (in Italian). Il Giornale. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ "Covid, il medico che cura i malati a casa: "L'intervento a domicilio evita l'affollamento al Pronto Soccorso"" (in Italian). TgCom24. 4 November 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
- ^ a b "Covid nei malati oncologici, da Piacenza lo studio mondiale" (in Italian). Libertà. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ ""Poliziotto ad honorem": premiati infermiera di Bergamo e medico di Piacenza" (in Italian). Polizia di Stato. 11 July 2020. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
- ^ "Impegno contro il Covid", associazione italiana di oncologia premia Cavanna" (in Italian). Libertà. 31 October 2020. Retrieved 24 December 2020.
- ^ Stroppa, Elisa Maria; Toscani, Ilaria; Citterio, Chiara; Anselmi, Elisa; Zaffignani, Elena; Codeluppi, Mauro; Cavanna, Luigi (2020). "Coronavirus disease-2019 in cancer patients. A report of the first 25 cancer patients in a western country (Italy)". Future Oncology. 16 (20): 1425–1432. doi:10.2217/fon-2020-0369. ISSN 1479-6694. PMC 7222528. PMID 32403946.