-I think it's scary. This indicates that you are very seriously ill once you enter. When the disease has progressed, it becomes much more risky to intubate. All margins are basically exhausted, says intensive care physician Håkan Kalzén, head of operations for the anesthesia clinic at Södertälje hospital.
Critical moment
New data that the Swedish Intensive Care Register has produced for SVT shows that almost every fifth who have received respiratory care is intubated within two hours of arrival at the intensive care unit and within 26 hours of arrival at the hospital.
During the intubation, a plastic tube is inserted into the neck. The patient is then anesthetized and has been given a muscle relaxant and cannot breathe himself.
- In the worst case scenario, cardiac arrest can result if the patient has come in with an already low oxygen saturation, explains Håkan Kalzén.
Many younger ones
At Södertälje Hospital, a large proportion of those who arrive in dangerously late years have been in their 30s and 40s.
-We would like young and healthy to be alert to the symptoms.
According to Håkan Kalzén, covid-19 has a subtle course.
-The patient adapts to an increasingly poor oxygen saturation until it suddenly tips over the edge.
Hidden acid deficiency
Many covid patients suffer from hidden oxygen deficiency, known as silent hypoxia. A phenomenon that makes them appear more vibrant and healthier than they are.
Blood clots are another common symptom and patients need to receive preventive treatment on time.
Doctors and patients who SVT has spoken to testify about cases where health care professionals have misjudged the situation and therefore urged severely ill patients to stay at home.
How should you know when it is time to seek emergency care even if you have been asked by nursing staff to stay home?
-If you have been ill for more than a week and begin to breathe quickly and heavily and become blue about the lips, you should definitely seek medical care, says Håkan Kalzén.