Senior medics carry on the fight to treat critically ill patients
Docs give remedy to a COVID-19 affected person in crucial situation in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Photograph: Cui Meng/GT
A picture of eight high clinicians who’re persevering with to deal with critically unwell COVID-19 sufferers in Wuhan, Central China’s Hubei Province has gone viral, with netizens dubbing them the “Eight Immortals of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU).”
The Eight Immortals are legendary figures in Chinese language mythology which bestow life and vanquish evil. Giving the eight senior medics this nickname represents Chinese language netizens’ respect and appreciation to those that have remained behind to deal with sufferers nonetheless within the ICUs in Wuhan, even after many healthcare employees have left the frontlines to return to their residence provinces.
As of April 6, round 38,000 medical employees dispatched from different provinces to assist Wuhan had left town, in accordance with the Nationwide Well being Fee (NHC).
There are nonetheless practically 1,000 medics and specialists from throughout the nation persevering with to deal with critically unwell sufferers in Hubei, the NHC stated.
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Certainly one of these “Eight Immortals” is Zheng Ruiqiang, director of the ICU at Northern Jiangsu Individuals’s Hospital, who arrived in Wuhan on January 23 when town was locked down. Zheng was a part of the primary group of senior medics who got here to lend their experience within the combat in opposition to the novel coronavirus.
With experience within the fields of organ operate assist, acute respiratory misery syndrome, extreme an infection remedy and scientific diet, Zheng was tasked with treating sufferers within the ICU at Wuhan Pulmonary Hospital, one of many first hospitals designated to deal with sufferers with COVID-19.
“There are nonetheless eight sufferers within the ICU I am working in. I am primarily accountable for designing particular person remedy plans for every affected person,” Zheng instructed the International Occasions on Wednesday.
He stated that round 78 p.c of critically unwell sufferers have been discharged from his wards since his arrival.
Within the early phases of the pandemic, Zheng visited different designated COVID-19 hospitals to triage critically unwell sufferers so they might obtain extra intensive care and focused remedies.
Because the outbreak is being introduced below management and subsequently there’s a sharp decline within the variety of sufferers, Wuhan has adequate healthcare employees and medical assets to cope with the remaining sufferers, Zheng instructed the International Occasions.
“Lifting the lockdown in Wuhan will not trigger a big enhance within the variety of sufferers in extreme situation, as a result of our coverage is to display for the virus earlier than individuals return to work, thereby placing the deal with prevention to alleviate the strain on frontline medics,” he stated.
“Nonetheless, the sufferers we’re nonetheless treating within the ICU are in crucial situation, so the principle problem is to inhibit the issues of COVID-19. About 20 p.c of sufferers admitted to the ICU are being handled with Additional Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO),” Zheng stated. ECMO is the remedy of final resort.
For frontline medical employees, treating sufferers with ECMO and tracheal intubation places them at excessive threat of an infection as a consequence of shut contact with the sufferers’ airway secretions which carry the virus.
The novel coronavirus can unfold by way of aerosol transmission if an individual is uncovered to an enclosed atmosphere with a excessive focus of aerosol for a very long time, in accordance with the NHC.
“Within the case of extra harmful conditions, so as to shield youthful employees, we have tried to function by ourselves,” Zheng, a medical veteran who additionally fought in opposition to the SARS outbreak in 2003, was quoted as saying by media.
Within the ICU, Zheng likes to ease the nerves of youthful medical employees by telling light-hearted tales. “Our job within the ICU is to save lots of lives and race in opposition to demise,” Zheng stated. “It’s greater than essential to keep up optimism and hope in such a miserable work atmosphere.”
