SINGAPORE – Madam Lee Sock Lee was match sufficient to go to a Swab and Ship Residence clinic after getting a optimistic Covid-19 antigen fast check outcome on Sept 13 morning, however issues quickly took a flip for the more severe.
Inside the subsequent 24 hours, she was in crucial care and combating for her life.
The 43-year-old housewife, who was slipping out and in of consciousness as she was being rushed to the emergency room of Ng Teng Fong Normal Hospital (NTFGH) on Sept 13, was on the verge of cardiovascular collapse and would have died if not for the well timed intervention of extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (Ecmo) remedy.
Ecmo is a life-saving machine which takes over the perform of the guts and lungs.
Madam Lee, who’s unvaccinated, was laying aside vaccination as a result of earlier episodes brought on by meals allergic reactions however didn’t have any pre-existing co-morbidities. The household was ready for the arrival of Novavax, a protein-based Covid-19 vaccine.
As a cautionary story to these nonetheless holding off vaccination, she mentioned on Thursday (Oct 28): “That is my second probability in life… If I had died, I’ll solely have my husband to maintain our 4 youngsters, who’re nonetheless younger. For individuals who are nonetheless hesitating on getting your vaccines, sure, there’s a danger of unwanted effects, however please don’t delay any additional.”
Describing her expertise as a traumatic one for her household, particularly her husband, Madam Lee added: “Vaccination may doubtlessly save your life. You will not should undergo what I went by way of and what I put my household by way of.”
Her household of six was discovered to be Covid-19-positive. Fortunately, her youngsters – starting from three to 13 years outdated – and her husband had solely gentle signs equivalent to fever and complications.
Her husband is partially vaccinated and her eldest son is absolutely vaccinated. The remaining are unvaccinated and people eligible will likely be getting their jabs in about three months – based mostly on physician’s recommendation for recovered Covid-19 sufferers.
After admission into NTFGH, she was transferred to the Nationwide College Hospital (NUH) on Sept 14 and placed on venoarterial Ecmo, a heart-lung machine used for catastrophic lung or coronary heart failure.
The machine removes blood from the affected person earlier than eradicating carbon dioxide from the blood and including oxygen to it. The machine then pumps the blood again into the affected person.
Madam Lee is the primary Covid-19 affected person in Singapore to want Ecmo for coronary heart assist, with the overwhelming majority, or 95 per cent, of sufferers needing Ecmo for lung assist, Affiliate Professor Graeme MacLaren, a senior guide on the division of cardiac thoracic and vascular surgical procedure on the Nationwide College Coronary heart Centre, Singapore (NUHCS), mentioned on Thursday (Oct 28).
She was on Ecmo for 4 days and was additionally given a course of remdesivir and dexamethasone. She was discharged on Oct 6.
Madam Lee’s coronary heart managed to get better, however some lingering signs and scarring on her coronary heart tissue have remained.
Her physique was severely deconditioned, a results of being critically ailing, and he or she needed to relearn some fundamental capabilities.
“I needed to endure speech remedy, physiotherapy, occupational remedy, and initially, I had relearn the right way to eat, bathe myself, stroll, stability and do issues like folding garments,” she mentioned.
She now will get extra drained and breathless simply and is slowly regaining her energy.
“I had no concept how critically ailing I used to be after I was hospitalised,” mentioned Madam Lee, who will return for a follow-up at NUH’s cardiomyopathy clinic in November.
“The medical doctors and the crew took nice care of me… and I am going to actually encourage everyone to take the vaccine so they don’t change into critically ailing and change into a burden to our medical doctors and nurses who’ve labored lengthy hours simply to maintain us.”
Ecmo in Singapore
Solely two centres in Singapore present grownup Ecmo assist – NUHCS and the Nationwide Coronary heart Centre.
Because the begin of Covid-19, NUHCS has put six sufferers on Ecmo assist, with 5 pulling by way of.
Ecmo is taken into account to be the final line of assist for sufferers.
Given how resource-intensive Ecmo is, an entire crew is required to handle only one affected person, Prof MacLaren mentioned.
An Ecmo crew would come with specifically skilled intensive care unit (ICU) nurses, a perfusionist and specifically skilled intensive care physicians to handle day-to-day issues that may come up, mentioned Prof MacLaren, including: “It takes a village to take care of one affected person.”
Based mostly on worldwide analysis, sufferers who go on Ecmo as a result of lung failure keep on it for about three weeks, whereas those that want it for coronary heart failure have a a lot shorter keep.
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