COVID-19 care does not end with discharge

OThe patient spent nearly a month on the ventilator. His lungs are so ill that all efforts to get himself breathed have failed. And finally, he improved and the tube came out-he needed only oxygen from the mask. Now he is breathing safely himself.

But that is far from the whole story. Upon leaving the ventilator, our patients (formerly healthy men in their 40s) were unable to speak, except for a temporary incomprehensible sound. I couldn’t move my arms or legs. Fortunately, he then recovered some of his ability to talk and move, but we still don’t know how long his deficit will last.

We are convinced that he is not alone. Most COVID-19 (New Coronavirus Infection) (# If there is no character limit, add parentheses when first appearing Patients never need to be hospitalized and the most severely ill should wear a ventilator so that they can get enough oxygen. Fortunately, even the people in this group who can survive the brush on the ventilator face a long road to recovery. Some suffer from permanent disability, ranging from neuropathy to renal failure to post-traumatic stress disorder.

March, Presidential announcement “Hospitals and providers that treat uninsured coronavirus patients will be reimbursed by the federal government.” This assures the country to him, “Uninsured Americans seek coronavirus treatment. You should reduce any concerns you may have about things. ”

Unfortunately, this is not the case. Since this announcement, the federal government has shed little light on what the president’s promise covers. Congress has not specifically reserved funds for this purpose. And the details are very important – they will mean the difference between a family being able to care for their devastated loved ones and the prospect of financial catastrophe if they try.

Our national interest is currently directed to hospitals treating the most morbid patients with COVID-19. But one of the biggest questions for survivors is whether government assistance ends with their discharge.

There is good reason to suspect that a large number of survivors will need considerable ongoing medical care once they are discharged. COVID is a complex disease It affects many of the body’s vital organs – some patients develop renal failure, stroke, and heart failure in addition to the more well-known respiratory manifestations of COVID.

The survival of some of these patients requires not only good inpatient treatment, but also intensive outpatient and home care in addition to medication and procedures. Stroke patients may require significant rehabilitation, or even the care of a nursing home, depending on the severity of the deficit. Patients with heart failure may require a pacemaker or implantable defibrillator. Many survivors will need respiratory therapy for at least some time, as their lungs have a hard time healing from the onslaught of the virus.

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This is on top of the symptoms known to affect many ICU patients regardless of disease. In particular, ICU acquired weakness due to long-term immobilization, cognitive impairment, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Studies suggest that one-quarter of those who have been on the ventilator for at least one week develop severe weakness that takes months to resolve. Meanwhile, they will also need rehabilitation, and for many, mental health care.

Even in normal times, our patchwork health coverage system means millions of Americans facing unimaginable choices between paying rent and food, or paying for life-saving medical care. Tragically, the numbers will inevitably swell at the exact time that can have serious consequences when uninsured.

Most Americans receive insurance through their employer, so losing a job often means losing health insurance as well. Recent research by Urban Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation It was estimated that the seven million Americans previously covered by their jobs would lose their health insurance altogether due to the unemployment of this pandemic. The only reason the numbers are low is because new unemployed people can get compensation through Medicaid or Affordable Care Act (ACA).

Without health insurance, we hope to provide the expensive care needed to recover from a long-term ICU stay under the best medical conditions, not to mention permanent damage to the kidneys, brain, or lungs Few Americans.

If the administration and parliament are serious about taking care of the people hit by this outbreak and ensuring that the road to recovery does not break them, they make this promise clear and concrete. is needed. Journalists need to request details about what is covered and what is not.

An extraordinary collection of expertise is martial arts for his assistance while our patient is in the hospital. A nutritionist carefully titrates his diet. A voice pathologist can help determine what he can eat, while minimizing the risk of inhaling food. The physiotherapist tries to help him regain use of his limbs.

Many New York hospitals mark clinical milestones on the road to recovery. One of the hospitals I work for started to play songs on speakers and noticed a steady discharge of COVID patients-recently the Beatles’Here Comes the Sun ‘or movie theme Rocky..

In this era of fear and suffering-the faint sound of these notes to the hospital’s public relations system is a rare light of hope. It is a very necessary reminder to all hospital staff who endangered their lives that their sacrifices were not wasted. Our patients were fighting through unimaginable suffering. Now we can’t throw them away the moment we receive the discharge certificate. Otherwise, those hopeful chords will certainly sound hollow.

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