One hundred eighteen days on a ventilator: a COVID-19 success story against all odds

Abstract

Emerging data suggest that patients with certain comorbidities requiring intensive care unit (ICU) admission for COVID-19 have a poor prognosis. This report describes a case of a patient with multiple comorbidities who contracted COVID-19 pneumonitis but was successfully weaned off invasive mechanical ventilation after 118 days, despite his admission being complicated by recurrent septic episodes and requirement for advanced cardiovascular support and renal replacement therapy. Of note, our patient received three courses of steroids in total during his ICU stay,and current literature strongly supports the use of steroids in critically unwell patients with COVID-19. To the best of our knowledge, this is the longest reported ventilated time and intensive care/hospital stay for a surviving patient with COVID-19 and highlights the importance of allowing sufficient time for clinical interventions to take effect, even when the prognosis appears bleak.

Requirements and Solutions for Motion Limb Assistance of COVID-19 Patients

“…An extended period spent in the hospital can result in muscular distress [9], especially for the most severe patients who may have been confined in bed due to required mechanical ventilation, even for several weeks [10]. As a result, it is also convenient to maintain motion activity during the hospitalization period.…”