Experiential Learning

18 | Monday, August 31, 2020 HONG KONG EDITION | CHINA DAILY LIFE Wang Guangfa (right), an expert from the National Health Commission, treats a COVID19 patient at the Dalian Sixth People’s Hospital affiliated to Dalian Medical University in Liaoning province. PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Experiential learning Wang Guangfa’s battle with COVID19 was different from that of other frontline experts, Li Yingxue reports. rom the SARS outbreak in their own feet. 2003 to the Wenchuan To be a respiratory physician, Earthquake in 2008, and Wang says that one needs to face from the H1N1 swine flu in many challenges, including a variety F2009 to the plague in the Inner Mon- of common illnesses, complicated golia autonomous region last year, pathogenic mechanisms and many Wang Guangfa, a respiratory expert difficult miscellaneous diseases. at Peking University First Hospital, During his 33 years of experience has spent his career on the front lines. in the field of pneumology, Wang has The COVID-19 pandemic was no been a pioneer of new technology in exception. He was in Wuhan, capital the treatment of patients. of Hubei province, as part of the “As the development of medical dis- National Health Commission’s ciplines bring more convenience to group of experts dispatched to the patients, doctors should continue to stricken city in early January. When learn,” Wang says. “It’s a huge risk to the pandemic reoccurred in the use new technology for the first time. coastal city of Dalian, Liaoning prov- But for the patients, we should have ince, in late July, Wang, 56, once the spirit to take up the challenge.” again packed up his gear and headed Wang says the use of new technolo- to the viral hot spot to help. Wang (center) in a meeting at the Dalian Sixth People’s Hospital Wang (second left) communicates with medical staff at the gy should not simply be to just to His fight against the epidemic was affiliated to Dalian Medical University in Liaoning. hospital. explore innovation, but should be slightly different this time — he was, based on the needs of the patient. for the first time, infected on the “When we are preparing an opera- front line. patients in the small space. I wore a transferred to hospital later that day. been applied in the ongoing preven- Wang now leads a team of 20, and tion, we are not only thinking about Confirmed positive for the novel N95 mask but no protective eye- His doctor recommended the use tion effort. has the further assistance of many how it could benefit the patient, but coronavirus on Jan 21, Wang spent wear,” Wang recalls. of HIV drugs, which combine lopina- One of his suggestions at the time experts from different fields, that use also what risks the patient might be nine days in hospital waging a per- The head of the fever clinic who vir with a low dose of ritonavir, which was to pay attention to patients in artificial intelligence to analyze the facing,” Wang says. sonal battle against the disease as a welcomed Wang also became infect- reduced Wang’s fever within a day. the cities around Wuhan. “Back cases of COVID-19 patients from Ma Jing, a colleague of Wang, says patient, and the experience also ed with COVID-19, showing symp- Wang recovered and was dis- then, all the focus was on the out- around the country. he has a strong will and a sense of helped him to better understand toms the very next day, which makes charged nine days after he was hos- break in Wuhan, but the city is the “We have collected data on more curiosity. COVID-19 and how to use that Wang more confident in his belief pitalized. capital of Hubei province and it was than 70,000 cases, including around She says Wang is always exploring knowledge to more effectively treat that he was infected at the Union The World Health Organization about time of Spring Festival with 15,000 cases that have full reports, new technologies, techniques and his patients. Hospital while he reviewing the subsequently stopped the trial of greater movement among the popu- which is a lot of work to do,” Wang ideas to help his patients, and he has infection process. lopinavir/ritonavir on hospitalized lation, so I noted that the cities says. an insight into the future trends of Solving the puzzle Wang returned to Beijing on Jan COVID-19 patients in July, because around Wuhan should also be con- As a former COVID-19 patient, his field. Wang arrived in Wuhan on Jan 8. 16 where he joined a meeting to offer the interim trial results showed that, cerned,” Wang says. Wang has gained more knowledge “The work is high-pressure, as the The following day, he visited Wuhan feedback on the Wuhan trip with the when compared the standard of care Wang also suggested speeding up and experience about the virus. As a patients who come to him from Jinyintan Hospital, checking the National Health Commission on the already being provided by hospitals, the detection process of the virus so doctor and a public health expert, across the country have a miscellany novel coronavirus patients in the same day. the drugs produced little or no that patients could be diagnosed as Wang says in light of the current of difficult illnesses, and some are ICU. Wang helped staff at the hospi- By the afternoon, he began feeling reduction in the mortality of those soon as possible. pandemic, doctors should shoulder even in a life-threatening position tal to intubate a patient. discomfort in his left eye, which soon infected. “I saw the doctors and nurses get- some responsibility concerning pub- when they arrive,” Ma says. Even though intubation is a proce- extended to his right. Both became “I was lucky that the drugs worked ting exhausted in Wuhan. They were lic health. Operating in the airways always dure that carries a risk of infection red. Wang developed a fever that on me, but it did have side effects, short-handed and under high pres- “The doctors in Wuhan have done carries a high risk, Ma notes, adding for the doctor, Wang believed that, night, with symptoms of nasal stuffi- like muscle weakness,” Wang says. sure,” Wang recalls. “I suggested a good job in identifying this new, that a patient might already be suf- with his protective clothing, N95 ness and a runny nose. beefing up the quota of medical staff infectious disease, but we still need fering from airway stenosis — a nar- mask, goggles and anti-spatter Wang thought he had caught the A new disease in Wuhan, as well as shortening to strengthen the awareness and vig- rowing trachea, commonly referred mask, the chance of him getting flu. He self-quarantined at home and On Jan 10, Wang told China Cen- their shifts. ilance among doctors,” Wang says. to as the windpipe — and the instru- infected was slim. treated himself with cold and flu tral Television that the outbreak was “The usual 8-hour shift was too ment required to enter the airway to On Jan 14, Wang visited the fever medicine but, four days later, the controllable, which caught the pub- long for them to be working in pro- Tech pioneer perform the operation occupies vital clinic at the Union Hospital affiliated fever had still not abated. lic’s attention. tective clothing, and if they were too Wang graduated from Beijing space. One mistake might cause to Tongji Medical College of Hua- “The 41 cases of COVID-19 He shared the fact that he had exhausted, their immunity might Medical University in 1987. He chose apnea. zhong University of Science and patients in Wuhan did not have become infected through the eyes on decrease and make them more vul- to become a respiratory physician According to Ma, if Wang is need- Technology. symptoms on the upper respiratory Sina Weibo, sending a warning to nerable to infection,” he says. after being deeply affected by his role ed by a patient when he is off duty, as In the small but crowded lobby, tract like me, which was why I both the public and medical workers After Wang was admitted into in helping to save the life of a serious- long as he is in Beijing, he will come Wang stayed for more than an hour thought I had flu at first,” Wang says. about the importance of eye protec- hospital, he received the files of 600 ly ill patient during his internship. to the hospital. “Even when you call talking to the patients. “Also, it was rare that I was infected tion. COVID-19 patients and was asked to He says among all professions, him at 2 am, he will come, and he “I was probably infected there through conjunctiva.” After the investigation in Wuhan, study them. After he was discharged, doctors are able to realize the value never complains.” through aerosol transmission, On Jan 21, Wang underwent a Wang presented his conclusions and he devoted himself to his work, shut- of their work when they help a because the room was not well venti- nucleic acid test and was confirmed suggestions to the National Health tling between his hospital and Nation- patient who enters the hospital on a Contact the writer at lated and there were too many to be infected with COVID-19. He was Commission, some of which have al Health Commission meetings. gurney, to recover and walk out on [email protected] Beijing film festival fosters overseas cooperation China has deepened its coopera- try’s filmmaking industrialization that resonates with global audien- tion with a number of countries in process,” Liu says.

Load more