Vadodara: Brain stroke, severe bleeding in the intestine, spiking sugar levels and dangerously elevated heart rates. This 31-year-old young doctor from Vadodara has not just fought back Covid-19 infection, but all these life-threatening complications, that happened just within a month of testing positive. But after recovery that took 48 days, Dr. Vishal Sardhara was back to work.
He was the first patient in Gujarat to recover using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment. As he could not maintain oxygen saturation on the BIPAP machine, Dr Sardhara was shifted on a life-support system.
Just as he recovered and was about to be discharged, he had a brain stroke and excessive bleeding in the intestine. He was given 32 units of blood within just 12 hours. During the course of his treatment, he had also faced severe dehydration as his sugar levels spiked. At one point in time, his heart rate touched 240 per minute after which he himself asked for a defibrillator which is used as a last attempt to restore the heart’s beating if the heart of a patient suddenly stops.
After recovery, Dr Sardhara started taking 5km morning walk daily while handling administrative work as director of a chain of hospitals. He even started blowing a conch with ease. “When I was infected during the first wave, even remdesivir which later became hugely popular was not recommended. It was a learning period for everyone as there was no treatment protocol,” recollects the doctor, who was admitted on June 14, 2020 and discharged on July 29, 2020.
Interestingly, Dr Sardhara who was the first patient from Gujarat to recover from ECMO treatment is now the first to start ECMO facility in Vadodara. “The ECMO treatment was so expansive that nobody thought of it. Now, we have introduced this facility in Vadodara at one-fifth the cost so that everyone can avail it irrespective of their financial status,” he said.
After recovery, during the second wave, he managed around 200 beds including 40 ICU beds in different set-ups. “We also started Covid centre at Karelibaug Swaminarayan temple with 50 beds with all facilities,” he said.
He was the first patient in Gujarat to recover using extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) treatment. As he could not maintain oxygen saturation on the BIPAP machine, Dr Sardhara was shifted on a life-support system.
Just as he recovered and was about to be discharged, he had a brain stroke and excessive bleeding in the intestine. He was given 32 units of blood within just 12 hours. During the course of his treatment, he had also faced severe dehydration as his sugar levels spiked. At one point in time, his heart rate touched 240 per minute after which he himself asked for a defibrillator which is used as a last attempt to restore the heart’s beating if the heart of a patient suddenly stops.
After recovery, Dr Sardhara started taking 5km morning walk daily while handling administrative work as director of a chain of hospitals. He even started blowing a conch with ease. “When I was infected during the first wave, even remdesivir which later became hugely popular was not recommended. It was a learning period for everyone as there was no treatment protocol,” recollects the doctor, who was admitted on June 14, 2020 and discharged on July 29, 2020.
Interestingly, Dr Sardhara who was the first patient from Gujarat to recover from ECMO treatment is now the first to start ECMO facility in Vadodara. “The ECMO treatment was so expansive that nobody thought of it. Now, we have introduced this facility in Vadodara at one-fifth the cost so that everyone can avail it irrespective of their financial status,” he said.
After recovery, during the second wave, he managed around 200 beds including 40 ICU beds in different set-ups. “We also started Covid centre at Karelibaug Swaminarayan temple with 50 beds with all facilities,” he said.