Dr Arvind Kate, Pulmonologist at Zen Multispecialty Hospital, Chembur, Mumbai, breathes a new life into a 42-year-old post-Covid patient with lung fibrosis. The patient with low SPO2 levels is back on track after prompt treatment and resumed her daily routine.
Varsha Kale, a 42-year-old housewife who is a resident of Mumbai was jolted out of her normal life due to Covid infection on March 1. She had symptoms such as body pain and fever and was home quarantined in Nashik, where she had been during the lockdown. Things turned awry when her oxygen level dropped below 90 on March 9. She was immediately admitted to the hospital nearby, underwent a CT scan but her condition didn’t improve and her oxygen level dropped to 20.
The family panicked and shifted her to another hospital in the city as her health kept deteriorating. Then, the patient was on a Bi-Level Positive Airway Pressure (BPAP) machine is a type of ventilator used to treat chronic conditions that affect breathing. Her health improved and she was negative. But, to her dismay, her CT scan revealed lung fibrosis. She was given medication and discharged from the hospital on April 4. Later, the family travelled to Mumbai in her car equipped with an oxygen cylinder and concentrator and visited Dr Arvind Kate at Zen Multispecialty Hospital, Chembur, Mumbai for further treatment.
Dr Arvind Kate, Pulmonologist at Zen Multispecialty Hospital, Chembur, Mumbai, highlighted, “On arrival, the patient underwent CT scan. Lung fibrosis is the scarring of tissues leading to breathlessness, chronic cough, and weakness. The thickened and stiff tissue makes it more difficult for your lungs to function properly. As lung fibrosis worsens, one becomes progressively shorter of breath. Also, the lung damage which one undergoes due to lung fibrosis can’t be repaired. But medications and therapies can help tackle symptoms and improve quality of life. There are many patients like Varsha who have been diagnosed with post-Covid lung fibrosis. A prompt diagnosis is key also key to manage it. The patient was advised to stay away from sick people, limit visitors at home and take physiotherapy as she was immobile for a month. One follow-up, the patient’s health has drastically improved and she doesn’t require oxygen support now.”
“Our world turned upside down once my wife Varsha got infected with Covid and her oxygen level kept dropping and reached till 20. She was gasping for breath and it was painful for us to see her struggling that way. She couldn’t even walk 5 steps. To top it all, she was also having lung fibrosis. For over a month she was bed-bound on oxygen support and required oxygen daily. After receiving timely treatment from Dr Kate, my wife is feeling better. She can walk on the treadmill for 15 minutes and do her daily chores with ease. She doesn’t require oxygen support now, and her SPO2 level is above 95. We are happy that she is able to move and breathe freely,” concluded the patient’s husband Nitin Kale.
