Respiratory therapy in elderly patients with COVID-19. Literature review

Abstract

Respiratory therapy has gained significant relevance in recent years, and with the onset of the pandemic, it has become one of the central pillars in the treatment of Elderly Patients infected with SARS-CoV-2, improving their prognosis in recovery. Objective. To conduct a systematic literature review on respiratory therapy in adults infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Methodology.  A systematic literature review was conducted, collecting data from databases such as PubMed, Scielo, Google Academic and virtual libraries of university repositories. The focus was on respiratory therapy applied in the treatment of COVID-19-infected patients, with the keywords used including respiratory therapy, adult, COVID-19, physiotherapy, and post-COVID-19. Results.  A documented literature review of scientific articles was performed, revealing that the most affected population by the pandemic was males and the average recovery time for patients undergoing respiratory therapy is 13 days. Conclusion.  It was evident that male patients are the most affected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Additionally, conditions such as arterial hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are predictors of an increased percentage of fatalities in patients infected with SARS-CoV-2.