An Exploration of the Pulmonary Fitness of Construction Workers in Delhi NCR in the light of the BOCWA Act

The construction sector is one of the most important sources of employment for labour in India. The workers in the construction sector are exposed to high concentrations of particulate matter at their place of work. This increases their susceptibility to various respiratory diseases, particularly Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Distress (COPD) and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). This study is based on a sample of 30 migrant construction workers who have been in the construction labour force in the Delhi- National Capital Region for a minimum of three years. The study reports comparative pulmonary fitness and haematological parameters of the workers in the construction sector versus other sectors. The pulmonary function test parameters like FVC (forced vital capacity), FEV1 (forced expiratory volume in one sec), FEV1/FVC, and PEF (Peak Expiratory Flow) were performed in both test and control groups using a spirometer. Our results show that the pulmonary fitness indicators like FVC, FEV1and PEF are significantly impaired in construction workers as compared to those of the control group. Based on Independent t-test using SPSS Statistics, we observed significant differences (p< 0.05) in FEV1 and FVC between both groups. The study thus confirms that labourers exposed to poor air quality at the construction site are susceptible to respiratory diseases, particularly ARDS. All of this reflects the poor enforcement of the adequate safety measures well enlisted in social legislations like the BOCWA (Building and Other Construction Workers Act). Key words: ARDS, BOCWA, FEV1/FVC, migrant construction labour.

High flow nasal cannula to prevent intubation in obese patient with COVID-19 induced ARDS: a case report

Obese patients have been identified to have a poor prognosis and a higher risk of death from coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). We present reports of two obese patients infected with COVID-19 with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) who showed improvement with high flow nasal cannula (HFNC). HFNC is a noninvasive oxygen delivery device which is capable of delivering a high concentration of oxygen that can reduce the requirement for tracheal intubation. HFNC is convenient to use, can reduce dyspnea without effecting the length of stay in ICU in these cases; and has a high merit to be used in selected patients requiring oxygen before attempting intubation and mechanical ventilation. Key words: ARDS; COVID-19; High flow nasal cannula; HFNC; Obese Citation: Mariati NMAS, Sugiarto A, Endriani E, Lestari R, Anindita K. High flow nasal cannula to prevent intubation in obese patient with COVID-19 induced ARDS: a case report. Anaesth pain intensive care 2021;25(2):212-216. DOI: 10.35975/apic.v25i2.1473 Received: 18 November 2020, Reviewed: 24 November 2020, Accepted: 7 December 2020