Virtual image of COVID-19 infected lungs.
An eerie virtually reality video shows the potential long-term damage of COVID-19 coronavirus rapidly spreads through the lungs.
Using a 360-degree virtual reality technology, Doctors at George Washington University visualize the transferred patient's lungs who tested positive with COVID-19, reports Daily Mail.
In his late-50s, the patient did not exhibit any symptoms days before the images were taken but, Hospital Chief of Thoracic Surgery, Dr. Keith Mortman shared that by the time he took care of the patient, the disease already wreaked havoc in the patient's lungs, as cloudy, green swaths of damaged tissue can be clearly seen in the images.
Previously isolated at another hospital, the man diagnosed with COVID-19 experience nothing more than cold-like symptoms such as fever, cough, and shortness of breath.
But within days in the isolation, his condition rapidly deteriorated prompting the original hospital to place the man on a ventilator. But despite the efforts, it was not enough as he was transferred to George Washington University.
Recreating the man's chest cavity in three-dimensions in 360 degrees, Dr. Mortman along with his team converted scans of the man's lungs into a virtual reality video.
COVID-19 is a respiratory illness that is the same as other coronaviruses that cause the common cold and that triggered SARS.
Fever, dry cough, shortness of breath, difficulty breathing and fatigue are the most common symptoms that a COVID-19 positive patient exhibits, while most of the people only become mildly ill, for those elderly and persons who have underlying health conditions the infection can turn serious and deadly.
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Patients who tested positive with coronavirus also develop pneumonia potentially causing yellow, green or bloody mucus, fever, sweating, shaking chills, shortness of breath, and rapid or shallow breathing. Other symptoms inlcude pain when breathing, especially when breathing deeply or coughing, Low appetite, energy, fatigue, nausea, vomiting (more common in children) and confusion (more common in elderly people). Some patients suffer diarrhea and kidney failure which is an occasional complication.
As seen in the video, some lung tissue appears clear and colorized with a light, translucent blue. The bronchial tree, the system of airways that runs into and throughout the lung is more solid, strong blue, in most places but green-colorized inflamed tissue is clearly visible in many places throughout both lungs.
Differentiating Healthy from COVID-19 Infected Lungs
Dr. Mortman said that you don't need an MD after your name to understand these images for it is not isolated to any one part of the lung. There is damage to both lungs, diffusely and the destruction can be seen. The video shows why these patients' lungs are failing to the point of needing a mechanical ventilator.
Dr. Mortman also explained that it starts off as this viral infection then it becomes severe inflammation in the lungs and when that inflammation does not subside with time, it becomes, essentially, scarring, creating long-term damage and it could really impact somebody's ability to breathe in the long-term.
With the U.S. at the top of the list for having most coronavirus cases, 80 percent of the patients developed only mild infection and symptoms but the other 20 have to be hospitalized for their lungs may fail and they have a high risk to fall into critical condition.
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