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We suffered a great blow, and in a few hours a large number of life-threatening patients merged. But the tough days are yet to come, and because of that, we cannot give up until we come out of this fight as winners.
This is what the doctors and nurses at KBC “Dr Dragisa Misovic” are talking about for “Blic” – heroes who have been treating the most serious patients since the beginning of the epidemic, without stopping. At the same time, they fight on the other front, in a non-Kovid hospital, where emergency surgical conditions are treated.
Currently, 180 patients with covid are housed in this institution, 17 are on a ventilator, eight have been intubated and 12 children and seven mothers have been treated at the Children’s Clinic. Reporters from “Blic” visited the most seriously ill patients at the Internal Clinic, one of the three covid buildings within the KBC “Dr Dragisa Misovic”.
To visit
We are going to visit the director of this medical institution, Prof. Dr. Vladimir Đukić, who immediately tells us that the capacities of covid patients are at their maximum, as well as that all are hospitalized in serious condition.
– These are really serious clinical pictures, they are all seriously ill. Most of them are older people with chronic diseases. We do not have time to move to another place – says prof. Dr. Đukić.
After putting on full protective equipment, we were referred to the pulmonology department and we were admitted to the intensive care unit. Here we find one of those scenes in which a lump in the throat stops: the struggle of patients for air. The silence in this room is only disturbed by the sound of a respirator.
We meet the anesthesiologist Dr. Miloš Vukajlović, who tells us that all patients are in intensive care with mechanical ventilation and in a very difficult general condition.
– All are older patients except one middle-aged man. They are conscious, but they breathe with the help of a respirator that recognizes when the patient wants to inhale and assists him. We have a large number of patients from other institutions, we just received a reception from KBC “Zvezdara” – says Dr. Vukajlović while closely monitoring the numbers on the monitor of each ventilator.
When asked if the doctors were tired, he replied:
– We certainly are, we have been working without interruption all this time. We had a lot of work in the non-kovid hospital, but we still do not give up – he says.
Pneumonia
Internal medicine specialist and pulmonologist Dr. Vesna Đurić explains to us that pneumonia in a healthy person has a completely different clinical course and outcome in relation to pneumonia in elderly patients with associated diseases.
– It is a completely different part of the pneumonia picture in patients who have chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic failure, chronic kidney failure, diabetes … When these patients contract pneumonia, regardless of its cause, it is a serious risk factor for a bad evolution. . Comorbidities and old age are two basic factors for death, says Dr. Đurić.
We see a well-coordinated team of employees working here, from doctors, nurses and technicians to cleaners; they all do their jobs with dedication.
– These people are our heroes. At the forefront of the fight are our anesthesiologists, pulmonologists, cardiologists and intensive care nurses. They are great people who have been here every day since March 12. We have the best equipment, replacement respirators, therapy and complete medications, but all of that is meaningless without courageous doctors and nurses. Still, you probably wouldn’t expect a positive atmosphere in such dramatic situations, but it is – says prof. Dr. Đukić.
The professor takes us to the next room and explains along the way that there are patients a little lighter, but that all are on non-invasive mechanical ventilation. We went upstairs and we didn’t think to complain about the disgusting protective gear, because we shouldn’t even imagine what it was like for the doctors during the hottest days of summer.
We arrived at the ward and we already found younger patients between 35 and 40 years old. The teacher visits each one individually and encourages them to be better.
– They are separated from the family and a conversation means a lot to them, an ordinary human conversation – says Prof. Dr. Đukić.
Oxigen bottles
In the hallway, we meet Nurse Ivana Đukić while carrying an oxygen bottle, and we can’t help but notice that the bottle is bigger than her. We ask her if it is difficult and she replies that they are used to it.
– In the last days, we have many patients, especially those over 60 years of age, who need support with high oxygen flows, with antibiotic therapy and care – he tells us as he hurries to the patient’s room.
Every minute counts
Anesthetist Slavisa Bucic says that this wave of epidemics differs from previous ones in the speed at which people become infected and the large influx of patients to hospitals.
– Wednesday was the hardest day for us. However, we will still be under attack and I think it will be much more difficult than it is now. There is still that adrenaline rush among employees. Even when we are too tired, we keep it to ourselves, because patients shouldn’t notice it. However, if the number of patients grows dramatically, the question is whether we can continue at the same rate in a month or two, he says.
Emphasize that time is the deciding factor and that every minute is important in this disease.
– It is not the same when we intubate the patient on time or when we intubate him to saturation 65 and when his lungs are in very bad condition. So the chances of recovery are much lower. That is why we call on citizens to call on time and not wait for the days to pass, because then it may be too late, says Bučić.
Ne bira virus
Dr. Đurić points out that during all these months they have seen a large number of young but also fatal patients.
– We have witnessed serious life stories. It seems that we see older men more often in intensive care units, but experience has shown that the corona virus does not choose and there are no protections. We are aware that we do not know enough about this infection and that we still do not have a solution – says Dr. Đurić.
He adds that so far there is no definitive cure or specific therapy for the crown.
– We have certain drugs with which we achieve good results. However, when the disease is in full swing, we cannot expect a significant effect. In intensive care units, life-threatening patients were intubated and those using a ventilator have a high death rate, he recalls.
And while we all look forward to the vaccine, the doctor says we must be responsible to ourselves and our loved ones.
– The way we take care of ourselves, we take care of our family. It is clear that most of those infected have a mild clinical picture, but these young people will transmit the infection to members of their family who will not be able to defend themselves with their immune system. The only way to get past the time ahead is to act responsibly: wear masks, keep your distance, avoid meetings, and maintain personal hygiene. We are facing a difficult winter and that is why I appeal to the conscience and personal responsibility of people. Until we reach that level, I am afraid that no repressive measure can work, says Dr. Đurić.
Hemodialysis is not lost either
This institution has capacity for 10 covid patients who are on hemodialysis due to chronic kidney failure.
– More is expected. These are mostly moderate and severe patients, because they already have a chronic disease. Dialysis should be done every other day and it is absolutely important not to miss even those conditions, emphasizes hemodialysis technician Božidar Đorđević.
Huge pressure
Dr. Đurić says that at first it was psychophysically difficult.
– We didn’t know much. We were afraid of the infection and of what would happen when we returned home. From physical fatigue, a person rests, but there was that pressure that we all carried. In every stroke, when you receive 35 patients on a single task, you are under a lot of pressure to do everything without a mistake, because it can cost someone their life. As time passed and we gained experience, we became mentally stronger, he says.
VIDEO: One day at KBC “Dragiša Mišović” at the time of the crown
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