India’s longest surviving COVID-19 patient returns home | Fusion - WeRIndia

63-year-old Ganesh Prasad from Ranchi is the longest surviving COVID patient in the country. He was on critical care support for 61 days.

As Prasad’s health condition deteriorated, he was shifted to Kolkata through an air ambulance in May. He was provided ECMO support in the hospital.

Dr Soham Majumdar, who treated Prasad at AMRI Hospitals in Kolkata, said that it was challenging for doctors and other team members to keep him on ventilation and ECMO. He was kept on ECMO for around three weeks and then on ventilation for few days.

Normally, a COVID patient is unable to survive on ventilation for more than 5 weeks. But, Prasad was on a ventilator for 42 days. Due to major lung problems and severe muscle weakness, he was provided with the continuous support of ECMO and ventilator.

With the constant monitoring and provision of critical care support from doctors and nurses, Prasad recovered. His family members also supported him and the hospital staff.

His son said that it was a miracle as they were told around 25% of the chances were there for his survival. He and other family members expressed their happiness for his recovery.

Prasad returned home on July 11. His story inspired many people.

Meanwhile, in another incident, India’s first COVID patient tested positive again.

A woman medico who returned from Wuhan university tested positive for COVID-19 on January 30, 2020. She is the first COVID-19 patient in the country.

She got treatment for three weeks at the Thrissur Medical College Hospital and recovered.

Now, she wanted to pursue her studies in New Delhi. As part of it, her samples were tested for COVID-19. Her RT-PCR result is positive. She is asymptomatic and fine at her home now.

Image by Tmaximumge from Pxhere (Free for commercial use / CC0 Public Domain)

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