Here’s What Lungs Look Like After Being Attacked By COVID-19
Image via Shutterstock
A new 360-degree video of the coronavirus infecting a man’s lungs shows the importance of observing social distancing to protect your loved ones.
The clip is a virtual simulation by the George Washington Hospital, and depicts CT scans of the 56-year-old patient’s lungs. The man, who visited the hospital on 18 March and became its first case, complained of a fever, cough, and breathing difficulties.
As portrayed in the virtual-reality video, the green and yellow parts of the patient’s lungs were inflamed due to the COVID-19 infection.
The hospital’s chief of thoracic surgery Dr Keith Mortman, who took the CT scans, explained in the facility’s podcast, “What we’re seeing is that there was rapid and progressive damage to the lungs so that he needed higher levels of support from that ventilator, and it got to the point where he needed maximal support from the ventilator.”
He was thus put on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), also known as extracorporeal life support, which involves the removal of some of the blood from his body to pump in oxygen and withdraw carbon dioxide, according to Business Insider.
Dr Mortman said the contrast between infected and healthy lungs is so considerable, “you do not need an MD after your name to understand these images.”
He added, “The general public can take a look at [it] and really start to comprehend how severe the amount of damage this is causing the lung tissue.”
The visuals drive the point home about social responsibility. Dr Mortman cautioned that a coronavirus inflammation that does not subside quickly can scar the lungs and cause long-term damage, as well as impact a patient’s ability to breathe in the long run.
As the healthcare industry is facing a shortage of protective equipment like N95 masks, people are encouraged to use reusable masks to prevent the virus from spreading. While cloth masks might not be the most effective at protecting wearers from the disease, they help filter the virus from transmitting elsewhere should the wearers be asymptomatic carriers themselves.
[via Mashable and Business Insider, video via Surgical Theater, cover image via Shutterstock]
Also check out these recent news
