Practice and exploration of traditional Chinese medicine in real-world treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia in a grass-roots designated hospital

During the outbreak period of novel coronavirus pneumonia, our hospital actively applied the method of integrated traditional Chinese medicine(TCM)and western medicine for prevention and treatment based on national guidelines. During the course of syndrome differentiation and treatment on etiology and pathogenesis of the disease, we realized that novel coronavirus pneumonia was classified as "cold-damp epidemic" in view of traditional Chinese medicine, and the specific pathogenesis was cold-damp epidemic pathogen obstructed in spleen and lung. With the development of the disease, cold and dampness may change into heat. The disease was located at lung and spleen. In the treatment, the patients with dominant lung syndrome were classified as lung type, and the patients with dominant spleen syndrome were classified as spleen type. The treatment principles of suiting measures to local conditions, dispersing the lung by drugs with pungent flavor and warm texture as well as refreshing the spleen by drugs with fragrant flavor were adopted according to the different types, and we do achieved good results in prevention and treatment. This study not only inherits the thought of syndrome differentiation of TCMin treating severe epidemic disease, but also explores new attempts and innovation, especially in simplified staging and types, which improves participation of TCMin treating epidemic disease,and is more convenient to apply in grass-roots hospitals in practice.