Features of the provision of inpatient medical care to patients with Alzheimer's disease during the SARS-COVID-19 pandemic

Background With Alzheimer's disease, the patient is not only unable to help himself, but he cannot even ask for such help. This is especially dangerous for a patient during the SARS-COVID-19 pandemic. Since the deadly complications of SARS-COVID-19 are observed in the age group in which Alzheimer's disease manifests itself. Method We observed 26 women aged 71-84 with Alzheimer's disease. All patients received treatment according to Alzheimer's disease treatment standards. Both amyloid-beta and tau were found in their cerebrospinal fluid. They also showed neurodegeneration in the areas classic for Alzheimer's disease on MRI of the brain. During a pandemic, sickness departments must wear masks and change them every 4 hours to prevent SARS-COVID-19 disease. In patients with Alzheimer's disease, the fulfillment of these requirements on their own is impracticable, since they have memory disorders for current events, changes in mood (apathy). Therefore, constant monitoring of medical personnel for compliance with these requirements is required. These patients in all inpatient care periods were given masks with a built-in 4-hour timer and a sensor that responded to opening contacts when the mask was removed. The end of 4 hours of wearing the mask and the removal of the mask as indicated by sound and light alarms installed in the mask. Result This greatly facilitated the monitoring of compliance with quarantine SARS-COVID-19 measures in patients with Alzheimer's disease. Also, the timely change of the mask was the prevention of hypoxia that develops as a result of wetting the mask with prolonged wearing. Conclusion Prevention of hypoxia with the prolonged wearing of a wet mask alleviates the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease, allows the patient to convey their thoughts and feelings, and significantly improves the quality of life of patients.## 背景 阿尔茨海默病（Alzheimer's disease）患者不仅无法自理，甚至无法主动寻求帮助。在2019冠状病毒病（SARS-COVID-19）大流行期间，这一情况尤为凶险，原因在于新冠重症并发症的高发人群，正是阿尔茨海默病的好发年龄群体。 ## 方法 本研究纳入26名年龄介于71~84岁的阿尔茨海默病女性患者，所有受试者均按照阿尔茨海默病诊疗规范接受治疗。其脑脊液中均可检出β淀粉样蛋白（amyloid-beta）与tau蛋白（tau），且脑部磁共振成像（MRI）显示阿尔茨海默病典型受累区域存在神经退行性改变。 疫情大流行期间，住院患者需佩戴口罩并每4小时更换一次，以预防新冠感染。但阿尔茨海默病患者无法自行遵守这一要求——他们存在即时记忆障碍，且伴随情绪改变（如情感淡漠），因此需要医护人员持续监督患者落实口罩佩戴与更换规范。 为此，所有住院照护期间的患者均使用内置4小时计时器与开盖感应传感器的专用口罩：当口罩佩戴时长达到4小时，或患者摘除口罩时，口罩内置的声光警报装置将发出提示。 ## 结果 该方案极大简化了阿尔茨海默病患者新冠防疫措施依从性的监督工作。同时，及时更换口罩可预防因长时间佩戴导致口罩浸湿而引发的缺氧问题。 ## 结论 预防因长时间佩戴浸湿口罩导致的缺氧，可缓解阿尔茨海默病患者的症状，帮助其表达自身想法与感受，显著提升患者的生活质量。