By the second wave of Covid, doctors had a better understanding of how to effectively treat extremely sick patients but the virus still baffled doctors...

A previously healthy and young Palestinian female was admitted the intensive care unit with serious breathing difficulties. She almost needed mechanical ventilation but she responded very well to treatment and after a week-long stay, in ICU, was about to be discharged to the normal internal medicine corona department.

On the day she was meant to be discharged she suddenly complained of severe chest pain.

A rapid investigation revealed that she was in the middle of a massive heart attack. Treatment was immediately instituted and she underwent an emergency cardiac catheterisation. A blocked vessel in heart muscle was found and a stent was inserted. She returned to our department. The pain was managed and she had minimal damage to her heart function.

She was subsequently discharged to the cardiology department in excellent health and is currently under the observation of a senior cardiologist to determine if the heart attack which is most unusual in a young female was due solely to COVID 19 or if there were other hereditary or metabolic factors involved.

This is an example of the thousands of stories from severely ill patients that have been treated in our intensive care unit at Laniado Hospital over the last 19 years.

At the time of the start of the pandemic our patients were being treated in a small cramped department where we could only manage 6 patients at a time. This has since been increased to 17 as building has already started on our new, state of the art, 24 bed, intensive care department. 

We are hoping to move into our new department at the beginning of May 2023.

Picture Credit: Pexels, Rodnae Productions