Covid-19 can damage lungs of victims beyond recognition, expert says

[nitpicker]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/15/covid-19-can-damage-lungs-victims-beyond-recognition-expert-says

Covid-19 can damage lungs of victims beyond recognition, expert says

Robert Booth

Mon 15 Jun 2020 19.10 BST Last modified on Mon 15 Jun 2020 20.25 BST

Covid-19 can leave the lungs of people who died from the disease completely unrecognisable, a professor of cardiovascular science has told parliament.

It created such massive damage in those who spent more than a month in hospital that it resulted in “complete disruption of the lung architecture”, said Prof Mauro Giacca of King’s College London.

In findings that he said showed the potential for “real problems” after survival, he told the Lords science and technology committee that he had studied the autopsies of patients who died in Italy after 30 to 40 days in intensive care and discovered large amounts of the virus persisting in lungs as well as highly unusual fused cells.

“What you find in the lungs of people who have stayed with the disease for more than a month before dying is something completely different from normal pneumonia, influenza or the Sars virus,” he said. “You see massive thrombosis. There is a complete disruption of the lung architecture – in some lights you can’t even distinguish that it used to be a lung.

“There are large numbers of very big fused cells which are virus positive with as many as 10, 15 nuclei,” he said. “I am convinced this explains the unique pathology of Covid-19. This is not a disease caused by a virus which kills cells, which had profound implications for therapy.”
(snip)

[roamer65]

1. Go right ahead, evangelicals. Go to your church without a mask and sing.

I double dog dare you.

[2naSalit]

3. +1

I triple double dog dare 'em.

[Ms. Toad]

5. Just stop it.

These poople do not live in isolation.

Their sister visits the Starbucks where my daughter works and infects her.

Their spouse is a an LPN in the nursing home where my great aunt lives.

Their daughter is a new law student who is in my class in in August.

These idiots do not live in an isolated bubble. Their failures to protect themselves impact all of us.

[roamer65]

8. That is why everyone needs to wear masks.

EVERYONE. Make it the law and no exceptions.

https://www.today.com/health/missouri-great-clips-hairstylists-coronavirus-did-not-infect-140-clients-t183982

[Ms. Toad]

10. I absolutely agree -

But masks pretect the recipient of the viral material better than the donor.

These folks are likely donors - and are the same ones who forced DeWine to back down a few weeks ago. I can't protect myself and my family merely by wearing a mask, so we need to stop being so gleeful at conservative idiots, Darwin award recipients, Karma, etc.

[frazzled]

2. First successful double lung transplant recently done here in Chicago

Doctors at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago announced Thursday they've performed the first successful double-lung transplant on a COVID-19 patient in the United States.

The woman in her 20s was otherwise healthy but developed a severe case of COVID-19 that resulted in hospitalization, says Dr. Ankit Bharat, Northwestern's chief of thoracic surgery.

For two months, she was in the intensive care unit on a ventilator and another machine, known as ECMO, that pumps and oxygenates blood outside of the body. Although she eventually cleared the coronavirus from her body, she remained in severe condition.

By early June, Bharat says the patient's lungs showed irreversible damage. She was at risk of further decline and began showing signs that her kidneys and liver were starting to fail with no improvement in her lung function.

...

The patient has been making progress since the procedure, he says. Her lungs are now working, and other organs — including her heart, kidneys and liver — have "completely recovered."

More details at link:
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2020/06/12/875486356/first-known-u-s-lung-transplant-for-covid-19-patient-performed-in-chicago

[2naSalit]

4. That's some severely invasive remedial action!

And then there would be a concern about donors.

[frazzled]

6. Like all transplants

The organs are thoroughly tested for health and compatibility.

This young lady was going to die. It’s remarkable that her life could be saved. A risk well worth taking. Let’s hope that the new lungs continue to sustain her.

[2naSalit]

7. Oh, that's not what I meant...

It's more the volume of donors that might be needed should this become a thing. I am glad to hear that it is a success so far and that she was able to have such a surgery giving her a chance at a much better situation than she was facing. She will still be needing to take extra care with her health for life. This virus is so horrible.

[frazzled]

9. I thought of that too

It’s obviously going to be limited by the number of donors. I doubt this is something they’d perform on someone in their 80s or 90s. Probably just for eligible candidates they think could be helped who are facing total organ failure.

I know this is the case for other transplants as well. A friend then in his 60s needed a liver transplant but did not qualify. He died, and my heart is still broken.

[LisaL]

11. Unfortunately, life expectancy after lung transplant isn't great.

[frazzled]

15. But better than death, for a 20-year-old

Given her age and previous good health, she may do fairly well. Here are estimates from British Transplantation Society.

The British Transplantation Society estimates that around 9 out of 10 people survive a lung transplant, with most of these surviving for at least a year after having the operation.

About 5 out of 10 people will survive for at least 5 years after having a lung transplant, with many people living for at least 10 years.

There have also been reports of some people living for 20 years or more after a lung transplant.

Although complications can occur at any time, a serious complication is most likely to occur in the first year after the transplant.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/lung-transplant/

[tblue37]

13. This is what one of her damaged lungs looked like when it was removed:

Compare to the healthy lung on the left in this image:

[MissB]

16. Holy.shit

Masks, people!

Mid-July to January. Not leaving the house except for curbside pickup.

[Laffy Kat]

14. God, did you see one of the lungs they took out?

Unbelievable. What a horrible, horrible virus. I didn't think I'd see anything this bad in my lifetime.

[tblue37]

17. See my post #13 above. nt

[Laffy Kat]

18. Yes, I think I was posting right when you were.

Incredibly impressive and terrifying photos.

[tblue37]

12. One reason why I fear covid-19: I probably wouldn't survive, but even if I did, I feel sure my lungs

would be so damage that the rest of my (foreshortened) life would be as a desperate invalid.