(WXYZ) — We wanted to share a feel good story about the fight to save Covid-19 patients, especially as we wait for a vaccine and hear talk of a possible resurgence from all of these protests across the country.
Hospitals are working day and night to use other methods to save COVID-19 patients especially those on ventilators who can barely breathe.
Dr. Rafael Barretto and his team have been working day and night at Ascension's St John Macomb Oakland Hospital to save patients from COVID-19. Patients like 61-year-old Sylvester Mccroy.
Mccroy is fortunate because his roommate died of COVID-19 right before he landed in the hospital in April. Dr. Barretto used two techniques one old and one controversial to make miracles happen – proning and steroid treatment.
Proning is when patients are flipped over on their stomachs so the fluid in their lungs can drain downward allowing their lungs to get oxygenationation.
His Therapist, Kristen Blankenship, became part of the Proning Team. Mccroy was one of those patients that they would put on their stomach on a ventillator for 16 hours.
There was so much inflammation in his lungs Dr. Barretto and his team wanted to try something controversial by giving him a small dose of steroids and they saw an immediate difference within 48 hours.
Doctors saw improvement in patients both on and off ventilators, and doctors at Henry Ford Hospital arrived at the same conclusion.
Henry Ford conducted a study and a trial and have submitted it for publication.
Once Mccroy's lungs were better and he was removed from the ventilator he had to undergo rehabilitation.
The hospital quickly received certification to have a Covid Rehab Unit, and not more than a week later Sylver went from not being able to hold up a cup to being discharged.
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