MUMBAI: Eighty-year-old Chottelal Thakur walked out of BYL Nair Hospital on Tuesday after a 45-day battle with Covid-19, showing that old age and Covid doesn’t amount to a death sentence. Doctors at the Mumbai Central hospital said that his recovery after such a prolonged stay has given them confidence that the infection can be defeated in older adults too.
In Mumbai, the case fatality rate in the 81-90 age group is the highest at 20%, followed by the 91-100 age bracket, at 18%.
Thakur recovered despite staying on a non-invasive ventilator for over two weeks, followed by another 10 days on a bag-mask device (delivers high flow oxygen under pressure) and then on oxygen support for the remaining days. “What kept us going was his family’s faith in us that we should do whatever possible to save him,” said Dr Rakesh Bhadade from medicine department, who along with a team of resident doctors cared for Thakur.
Thakur was admitted to the hospital in June with lower respiratory tract infection. At the time of hospitalisation, it became clear that he had already developed acute respiratory distress syndrome, considered the most severe form of lung injury and associated with higher mortality rates in older patients. “Besides the standard line of care, he was also given drugs like Tocilizumab that helped with the recovery,” said Dr Bhadade. The medical ICU team, led by professor and in-charge Dr Rosemarie DeSouza, is currently looking after two patients who have been hospitalised for over 40 days. Nair dean Dr Mohan Joshi said several patients from the older age groups have been successfully treated by their doctors.
As per data, over 2,300 people in the 80-90 age group have tested Covid-19 positive, while nearly 250 people from the 90-100 age bracket have been affected. “Among the reasons why older people are greatly impacted include the physiological changes associated with ageing, reduced immune function and comorbidities,” said a KEM doctor, adding that family members who step out need to be extra cautious as they are often the source of infection for the elderly.
In Mumbai, the case fatality rate in the 81-90 age group is the highest at 20%, followed by the 91-100 age bracket, at 18%.
Thakur recovered despite staying on a non-invasive ventilator for over two weeks, followed by another 10 days on a bag-mask device (delivers high flow oxygen under pressure) and then on oxygen support for the remaining days. “What kept us going was his family’s faith in us that we should do whatever possible to save him,” said Dr Rakesh Bhadade from medicine department, who along with a team of resident doctors cared for Thakur.
Thakur was admitted to the hospital in June with lower respiratory tract infection. At the time of hospitalisation, it became clear that he had already developed acute respiratory distress syndrome, considered the most severe form of lung injury and associated with higher mortality rates in older patients. “Besides the standard line of care, he was also given drugs like Tocilizumab that helped with the recovery,” said Dr Bhadade. The medical ICU team, led by professor and in-charge Dr Rosemarie DeSouza, is currently looking after two patients who have been hospitalised for over 40 days. Nair dean Dr Mohan Joshi said several patients from the older age groups have been successfully treated by their doctors.
As per data, over 2,300 people in the 80-90 age group have tested Covid-19 positive, while nearly 250 people from the 90-100 age bracket have been affected. “Among the reasons why older people are greatly impacted include the physiological changes associated with ageing, reduced immune function and comorbidities,” said a KEM doctor, adding that family members who step out need to be extra cautious as they are often the source of infection for the elderly.
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