May 14, 2020 | 18:48 (GMT+7)
British COVID-19 patient has severe lung damage, needs transplant
A British pilot, who is the 91st COVID-19 patient in Vietnam, is suffering 90 percent damage to his lungs, according to the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases where he is being treated.
The patient is now completely dependent on Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO).
His CT results on May 13 showed severe solidification and fibrosis of the lungs, making it difficult for oxygen to get into the patient’s blood.
On May 12, the Ministry of Health (MoH) hosted a consultation with health experts from the country’s top hospitals on the case, concluding that a lung transplant is the only solution to save the patient.
However, it requires him to be given the all-clear and receive intensive antibiotic stewardship before being transferred to Cho Ray Hospital for the transplant.
Confirmed as a COVID-19 patient on March 18, the pilot has been suffering from a high fever since being hospitalized and his respiratory system has worsened despite him being just 43 years old and in otherwise good health.
He is also suffering from blood clots and cytokine storm syndrome – an intense immune response where the immune system releases a lot of cytokines through the bloodstream, which actually works against the body instead of protecting it.
His body was resistant to all types of anti-clotting medication, so the MoH has had to buy rare drugs from overseas to treat him, said Doctor Nguyen Van Kinh, head of the MoH’s professional council for COVID-19 treatment.
Another severe case of COVID-19, the 287th patient – a 50-year-old woman returning from United Arab Emirates (UAE) – is also under treatment at the hospital. Her X-ray results on May 12 showed increasing lung damage.
On May 13, the patient recovered from a fever, her pulse and blood pressure remained stable.
Source: VNA