Patient thankful for Renji team's efforts
Medics in hazmat suits stand by the bed of a patient surnamed Chen, who has now recovered after 40 days of ECMO treatment.
For one patient in a coma, it was hard to conceive of how determined his medical team had been as they worked to help him survive his coronavirus infection.
Under ECMO treatment for an unprecedented 40 days, it was hard for the 65-year-old patient surnamed Chen to remember what the doctors actually looked like until he saw the news on TV.
ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, provides cardiac and respiratory support for patients whose heart and lungs are unable to sustain life
On Thursday, the day after Chen celebrated his recovery with family, Dr Zhu Mingli, a member of Renji Hospital’s COVID-19 treatment team, received a thank you message from Chen's daughter.
“The protective suits covered him up from head to toe, making it hard for my dad to recognize his bare face,” it read.
By “his face” he meant Dr Gao Yuan, director of the Renji team, who kept an eye on serious cases, often accompanied by deputy director Dr Xing Shunpeng.
They were among the 28-strong Renji team working round the clock at the Shanghai Public Health Clinical Center, a designated hospital for coronavirus patients.
Chen was hospitalized on February 2 and his condition deteriorated quickly. Doctors put him on ECMO due to his extremely risky condition.
“I was so glad to see Dr Gao’s face on TV. I will never forget their faces now that I am finally able to remember them,” said Chen.
Some of the 28-strong Renji team of doctors and nurses.
Renji medics pose for the camera as they celebrate a reduction in the number of critical cases.
