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

Germaine Chia1, Hannah Barrett1, Parind Patel1

  • 1Centre for Perioperative Medicine and Critical Care Research, Hammersmith Hospital, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK.

BMJ Case Reports
|March 30, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Critically ill COVID-19 patients with comorbidities can survive prolonged intensive care unit (ICU) stays. This case highlights successful outcomes with extended mechanical ventilation and steroid treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Critical Care Medicine
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Pulmonology

Background:

  • Patients with COVID-19 and comorbidities admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) often have a poor prognosis.
  • Management of severe COVID-19 pneumonitis requires prolonged critical care and advanced life support.

Observation:

  • A case report of a patient with multiple comorbidities successfully weaned off 118-day invasive mechanical ventilation.
  • The patient experienced recurrent septic episodes and required advanced cardiovascular and renal support.

Findings:

  • The patient received three courses of steroids during his ICU stay, aligning with current recommendations for severe COVID-19.
  • This represents the longest reported duration of mechanical ventilation and intensive care/hospital stay for a surviving COVID-19 patient.

Implications:

  • This case underscores the importance of sustained clinical interventions, even in patients with a seemingly poor prognosis.
  • Extended intensive care and timely therapeutic interventions, including steroid use, can lead to survival in critically ill COVID-19 patients with comorbidities.

Keywords:
adult intensive caremechanical ventilation

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