Case Report of a Critically Ill Patient with COVID-19 in Early Outbreak

Abstract

Introduction: Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has spread rapidly throughout the world. Many people died of this disease. We reported a case of critical illness with COVID-19 pneumonia that occurred in the early stage of viral spread in China and describe the identification, diagnosis, clinical course, and management of the case, including the patient’s symptoms throughout the course. Patient concerns: This article describes the whole diagnosis and treatment process of a critically ill patient in a case report. Diagnosis: The patient was a physician and presented to a fever clinic with a history of treating a suspected patient without special protection the day before. After 5 days, a nucleic acid test for COVID-19 was positive. Then, the patient was transferred to the intensive care unit (ICU) immediately because of severe dyspnea. He was diagnosed with COVID-19 based on a history of exposure, severe acute respiratory syndrome, positive COVID-19 test and chest computed tomography (CT). Interventions: Various therapies were used in this critically ill patient, including anti-infection drugs, hormones, immunoglobulins, herbal medicine, noninvasive ventilation, and special plasma. Outcomes: The patient recovered completely and was discharged after one month of hospitalization. COVID-19 was tested negative and a chest CT showed marked improvement prior to discharge after 4 weeks admission. Conclusion: This study highlights the complexity of treatment and recurrent positivity of the critically ill COVID-19 pneumonia patient and aims to provide useful reference and information for our knowledge of the clinical spectrum of disease.