COVID-19: Critically ill British patient able to smile, shake hands
VOV.VN - The British citizen who was critically ill due to the novel coronavirus is recovering significantly as he can smile and shake his head or hands with medical workers, according to doctors of Cho Ray hospital in Ho Chi Minh City.
The British patient is smiling at medical workers at Cho Ray hospital
The patient completely stays conscious in bed and can make contact or fully comply with medical staff’s commands, doctors said on June 2.
The 43-year-old man has stopped dialysis for a week, and his kidneys as well as livers function almost normally.
The latest microbial culture results showed that Burkholderia cenocepacia, a species of Gram-negative bacteria which is said to be very difficult to treat, remains in the sputum, but the number of germs has decreased considerably.
The patient is still on the extracorporeal membrane oxygenation machine (ECMO), a life support therapy, despite the reduction of ECMO parameters but doctors are considering a halt to this therapy in a couple of days.
Compared to May 13 when pulmonary fibrosis solidified both of the patient’s lungs, more than half of his left lung has now functioned normally and the respiratory function of his right lung has begun to be improved, said Tran Thanh Linh, deputy head of the Emergency Resuscitation Department at Cho Ray Hospital.
The British man, who works for Vietnam Airlines as a pilot, was diagnosed with the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes the COVID-19 disease, in Mid-March.
After being hospitalized, his health had deteriorated due to his lung infection complications. He had fallen into a coma until he moved his head and fingers several days ago.
He is being fed via the gastrointestinal tract, and given physical therapy twice a day.
The patient, known as patient 91 in Vietnam, is the most severe coronavirus case in the country.