A 43-year-old British pilot who has been in a critical condition since being diagnosed with novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has regained 50 percent of his lung capacity, a remarkable increase from just 10 percent a few weeks ago.
Doctors in Vietnam convened their fourth teleconference on Thursday to continue discussing treatment options for the Briton.
According to a report from doctors at Cho Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City where the patient is being treated, the condition of his heart and pancreas has stabilized since he was taken off ECMO, a form of life support, on Wednesday.
The patient is fully awake and able to urinate without the help of a urinary catheter.
The most notable milestone thus far in his recovery has been an increase in his lung capacity to about 50 percent.
On May 13, a CT scan revealed that only 10 percent of his lungs were functional, with doctors and experts believing that a lung transplant was the patient’s only shot at survival.
His lung capacity increased to about 30 percent a week later and to 40 percent last week, raising hopes of the possibility he could survive without the surgical procedure.
At the teleconference, doctors and experts also discussed the use of various medications for the patient as well as the continuation of physical therapy to help him restore his physical functions.
According to the Ministry of Health, representatives from the British Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City have visited the patient.
The Briton, a Vietnam Airlines pilot, was identified as the country’s COVID-19 patient No. 91 after his diagnosis in mid-March.
He was first treated at the Ho Chi Minh City Hospital for Tropical Diseases and was transferred to Cho Ray on May 22 after being cleared of the coronavirus.
Vietnam’s COVID-19 tally remained at 328 as of Friday morning, with 302 having recovered. No death from the disease has been reported.
No community spread has been detected in the country for nearly 50 days.
This article was originally published in Tuoitrenews