Sånn er det når en uvaksinert vaksinemotstander blir syk ((delt av en vaksinert bror).
I'm going to continue to share the story because it puts a face on the statistics and will include some medical jargon because I know many of you will understand it.
On Thursday morning I got a (not unexpected) call from the ICU doc that she was recommending intubation. The administrator gave dispensation for his wife, son, and me to visit (he had no family visits allowed for the 12 days prior).
It was a very difficult day. He was completely lucid but his oxygen saturation was marginal on 90% hi-flo plus a NRB mask and dropped into the mid 80's when he talked with us or used his phone to get critical financial information for his wife.
He has had some complications. Pulmonary embolism was not a surprise but still a good catch when he decompensated and was transferred to ICU last Saturday.
He also had significant leaking of air from his lungs into surrounding tissue, called pneumomediastinum, a sign of significant lung injury. It also meant that the ventilator, with extra air pressure, would make things worse.
In short, he would not survive without a ventilator but we couldn't look him in the face and say the vent was likely to help.
After some discussion with other doctors/experts experience with COVID and a lot of scrambling, we got a recommendation then found an ECMO circuit that was available about 30minute away by Life Flight.
We said our "love you, man" and "gonna fight like hell" and he was intubated that day. Friday was transfer day, yesterday he got cannulated for ECMO.
We are hoping he stabilizes (normally an unstable period for 24-72 hours).
Best possible outcome is weeks on the heart-lung machine, weeks or months in rehab (learning to walk, eat, etc), maybe gets free of breathing and feeding support and makes it home.
He's 58 and obese, married with 1 adult son (early 20s), owns and operates 3 businesses, recently built his dream home.