Doctors work hard to save critical pregnant COVID-19 patients

N.T.T has recovered after many days of struggling to fight COVID-19. — Photo suckhoedoisong.vn

HÀ NỘI — Saving the lives of COVID-19 patients, particularly those who are pregnant, has been the invaluable gift of thousands of medical workers who have been working day and night across the country. 

During almost one month spent at Vũng Tàu Hospital in southern Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province to help in COVID-19 prevention and control, a group of doctors from the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology and their colleagues successfully saved three pregnant patients who were in critical condition, Sức khỏe & Đời sống (Health & Life) online newspaper reported. 

N.T.T was in the 27th week of pregnancy when she was infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and was hospitalised on December 6, 2021.

She had not yet been vaccinated against COVID-19 and her health condition worsened, leading to the loss of her unborn child.

The doctors decided to perform a caesarean section to save the mother.

After the surgery, the patient was treated at an intensive care unit. However, she started to show signs of multi-organ failure, including of the heart, kidney and respiratory system, which progressed badly.

Nurses watched her around the clock to give proper adjustments in care and treatment to help her recover.

After many days of being treated at the intensive care unit, she started to recover and was extubated on January 5. The work of medical workers had paid off.

Dr Đặng Văn Sỹ, a member of the team from the Hà Nội-based National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, said there were many times the patient was believed to be unable to recover, including times her heart stopped beating.

“But we always reminded ourselves that we must strive to save all patients even there is only a 1 per cent chance of hope,” he said.

She has so far recovered well and overcome the most dangerous period, according to Sỹ.

“We are so happy to save her,” he said.

T. is among three pregnant patients who were saved by doctors from the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology and their colleagues at Vũng Tàu Hospital during the time they were mobilised to Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province.

“The two other pregnant patients are also in stable health now and both their unborn babies are still developing well,” said Dr Bạch Minh Thu, deputy head of the Department of Surgery and Anesthesia of the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Around 90 per cent of pregnant patients who were moved to the third tier had a high fatality risk.

Under the three-tier treatment model, the first tier is for patients without symptoms or with mild symptoms. The second tier, mostly at field hospitals and COVID-19 treatment hospitals, receives patients with medium symptoms and underlying health conditions. The third tier is for patients in critical condition.

“That the three pregnant patients were saved was a miracle and an invaluable gift to all the medical workers,” Thu said.

While helping to treat critical COVID-19 patients at the Vũng Tàu Hospital, doctors and nurses from the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology also shared experience and carried out technical transfers for their colleagues.

They guided the Vũng Tàu Hospital’s medical workers on how to organise and operate an intensive care unit and how to classify and treat medical waste as well as consulted them about treatment guidelines for pregnant COVID-19 patients.

Dr Phan Hải Đăng, who is in charge of the Intensive Care Unit at the COVID-19 treatment facility of the Vũng Tàu Hospital, said medical workers at the hospital were often overloaded and faced many difficulties because the number of critically ill patients kept increasing.   

Thanks to assistance from medical workers from the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the treatment quality was improved, he said.

In early December 2021, Minister of Health Nguyễn Thanh Long asked Việt Đức Hospital and the National Hospital of Obstetrics and Gynecology to mobilise medical workers to Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province to help manage and treat COVID-19 patients for local medical establishments amid the development of the pandemic.

The two hospitals were asked to set up an intensive care unit and help Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu Province to assess and prepare medical equipment, materials and human resources for COVID-19 treatment.

Apart from directly participating in treating COVID-19 patients, medical workers from the two hospitals were also entrusted with providing consultancy and training to help improve treatment quality of the province’s medical staff. — VnExpress News