Patient No.19 and medical workers at the Intensive Care Unit pose for a group photo on the day of her discharge (Photo: VietnamPlus)

Hanoi (VNA) – Vietnamese physicians worked miracles saving the life of the 19th COVID-19 patient, who was among the country’s two most severe cases.

The number of COVID-19 infections has surged to more than 6.5 million across the world, with 387,000 fatalities.

Meanwhile, Vietnam has reported no locally-transmitted cases for 49 consecutive days.

Physicians at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases worked miracles saving the life of the 19th COVID-19 patient, who was among the country’s two most severe cases. The patient was on the brink of death as her heart stopped beating, even she clinically died twice.

Bringing a patient back to life

“I did not sense anything during my days in the intensive care unit (ICU). I have recovered about 70 percent and am very happy that I overcame the disease.”

“I want to express my gratitude to medical workers and those who took care of me. I feel reborn,” patient Nguyen Tuyet Hang said on the day she was declared as having recovered from COVID-19.

On June 3, the patient was discharged from the hospital with a broad smile on her face and a stable condition. She is about to board a plane to return home in HCM City.

For the most severe Vietnamese COVID-19 patient, saving her life was a difficult and challenging journey for physicians. She was on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) for days.

She travelled to Hanoi on the 28th day of the last lunar month and then was admitted to the hospital for a long time as she was infected with the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 from her niece, who was the 17th patient in Vietnam and the first case in the Hanoi capital.

Head of the ICU at the National Hospital of Tropical Disease Vu Dinh Phu said that she was admitted on the morning of March 7, with the longest time of hospitalisation of over two months.

During such a long time of treatment, her condition was unstable, which must be under medical workers’ constant watch, he added.

The patient No.19 (R) on her discharge day (Photo: VietnamPlus)

From March 15 onwards, her condition quickly worsened and she fell into a coma, also suffering from respiratory failure. 80 percent of her lungs were damaged and became mostly white. She had to be on a ventilator.

In addition, she had been on ECMO for 17 consecutive days since March 20. Her heart stopped beating three times, one time lasting 40 minutes.

“The 64-year-old patient was in critical condition on April 7, when her heart suddenly stopped beating. Medical workers had to perform emergency aid on her constantly for 40 minutes. It was a situation hanging by a thread for us,” Phu recalled.

Doctors perform emergency aid on a COVID-19 patient who is in critical condition (Photo: VietnamPlus)

80 nerve-racking days

The patient’s recovery was greatly attributed to the hard work made by Vietnamese medical workers.

Dozens of medical consultations were held with the participation of leading experts. Staffers at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases were always in a hurry adjusting treatment methods for her as she tested positive for the virus while having underlying health conditions.

The total medical fee was over 2 billion VND (86,210 USD) which was covered by health insurance and the State in accordance with the Ministry of Health’s regulations.

“Her recovery fills us with great joy since she was clinically dead several times,” Phu said.

Patient No.19 goes back home (Photo: VietnamPlus)

The patient, when freshly admitted, was still able to carry out daily activities until falling into a coma. She woke up one day and realised that she was on a ventilator in a separate room and had no strength to lift her limbs, totally unaware of her own conditions.

She had no idea that COVID-19 affected her health in such a terrifying way./.

Most of Vietnam’s COVID-19 patients are being treated at the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases, including most severe cases. To date, 154 patients have been given the all-clear.

Director of the hospital Dr Pham Ngoc Thach said when taking care of nearly 200 patients, two doctors of the hospital were infected with SARS-CoV-2. Everyone was confused at first, now staff at the hospital have gradually adapted to the situation, he said.