Mucor can be avoided with a strict ICU vigil, shows study by Mumbai city hosp

Mumbai: The mucormycosis crisis sweeping across the country’s post-Covid patients could have been avoided with strict bedside monitoring, shows a new study by a Mumbai hospital.

None of the 1,000-plus patients admitted to Fortis Hospital’s ICU since March 2020 developed the deadly fungal infection that can disfigure or kill a patient.

“Of the 1,027 patients admitted to ICU between March 2020 and May 2021, 915 received steroids and 417 had diabetes. Yet, on followup we found that none developed mucormycosis,”' said the study’s main author and state task force member, Dr Rahul Pandit . The results underline that “if you manage patients well”, the fungal infection can be avoided, he said.

Most big hospitals in Mumbai treat mucormycosis patients coming from outside the city. “Even if some patients develop mucormycosis, we catch it so early that the patient does not need surgery,’’ said a senior Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) doctor connected to the study.

Although India is the capital of mucormycosis as the incidence here is 70 times higher than the rest of the world, the sudden rise in infection during the second Covid-19 emerged as a big cause for concern. There are 30,000 post-Covid mucormycosis patients in the country, including 7,359 in Maharashtra and 596 in Mumbai.

“The sudden rise in mucormycosis is an enigma that needs to be solved,” said co-author Dr Shashank Joshi. “It has been linked to uncontrolled diabetes, SARS-CoV-2’s Delta variant, overuse of steroids and zinc, humidity levels and poor infection control measures in ICU,” Dr Joshi added.

Dr Pandit and his team at Fortis Hospital, Mulund, conducted a retrospective analysis among admitted Covid-19 patients to find answers.