108-year-old Chinese sound after recovery from COVID-19

SHANGHAI - Huang Huiqin, 108, is in good health six months after she recovered from COVID-19 in Shanghai.

In a recent return visit by phone, doctors with the Ruijin Hospital Luwan Branch, where Huang was treated in May, determined that her underlying issues remain stable, with no sequelae caused by the virus found. They gave the centenarian blessings and health guidance.

After testing positive for the virus on May 16, Huang was transferred to the hospital for treatment.

Huang had been in bed after experiencing a bad fall 18 months prior, and was incontinent with contracted lower limbs. It was not an easy task to treat the elderly patient.

Medics who traveled from Hunan and Shanxi provinces to assist the city's fight against the epidemic and the hospital staff established a special medical team to implement personalized therapeutic solutions for Huang.

The nurses on her ward continuously provided her with prone-position ventilation support, improved her lung ventilation status, and kept her oxygen saturation level above 97 percent at all times, thus helping the patient survive her most dangerous period of acute infection.

Every day, the medical staff also treated her pressure sores, which had been caused by her being bedridden for a long time, so she never experienced further skin damage or secondary infection during her hospitalization.

An intensive care team from the Xiangya Hospital of Central South University in Hunan made a daily inspection plan, and ICU doctors and respiratory therapists visited her on a daily basis to determine potential risk factors, thus ensuring the normal workings of her vital organ functions.

Strictly implementing the requirements of the national COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment plan, identifying potential risks in a timely manner and addressing any such risks are key to treating elderly patients, said Kang Yan, director of the critical care medicine department at the West China Hospital of Sichuan University. Kang had given advice on the treatment of Huang.

On the morning of May 21, Huang was discharged from hospital and returned home.