Patient, 70, successfully taken off ECMO in Wuhan

Doctors in Wuhan, Central China's Hubei province have successfully withdrawn ECMO support from a 70-year-old with COVID-19 infection on Sunday, which made him the oldest infected patient in the hardest-hit province to have the equipment withdrawn.

The patient, surnamed Lu, has stable vital signs and is gradually recovering after being supported by ECMO, or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, for 37 days.

Lu had been treated in Hankou hospital in Wuhan since Jan 28 and had high fever and a cough, but his condition did not improve and his oxygen saturation was quite low after using a non-invasive ventilator.

The patient was transferred to Tongji Hospital on March 6 after declining to critical condition and it was suggested by experts that Lu be given ECMO support during a routine inspection of the patients.

According to Chen Jun, a vascular surgeon at Tongji Hospital, Lu was in grave condition. Besides respiratory failure caused by COVID -19, other conditions affecting the patient were hypertension, coronary heart disease and severe myocardial injury, possibly caused by the virus and hypoxia.

In the following days, Lu's condition fluctuated greatly, even under life support from the Veno-Venous ECMO. Doctors kept a close eye on the patient's condition changes, as well as mood swings.

"Although Lu has resumed eating, we still need to assess his nutritional status through muscle strength and mental state, and we have also strengthened physical therapy to lay a good health foundation for him," Chen said.