A British pilot who has been infected with the coronavirus is in critical condition and needs ECMO support to sustain life, according to Ho Chi Minh City-based Hospital of Tropical Diseases.

Patients in critical condition are being treated in
a restricted area to avoid cross transmission

Dr Nguyen Van Vinh Chau, director of the hospital, said he has run high temperatures endured respiratory failure since he caught infection on March 18.

Chest X-ray images showed he has suffered from severe lunge damage, requiring intensive interventions.  

The patient used both noninvasive and invasive ventilators to survive, but respiratory failure is worsening, said Dr Chau.

Hospital doctors on April 6 consulted with colleagues of HCM City’s Cho Ray hospital, and they agreed to apply the ECMO therapy to save his life.

The patient, a 43-year-old pilot of Vietnam Airlines, took a flight from London to Vietnam on March 8. A week later he visited Buddha Bar in Ho Chi Minh City where more than 10 coronavirus patients have been confirmed to date.

ECMO is an extracorporeal technique of providing prolonged cardiac and respiratory support to persons whose heart and lungs are unable to provide an adequate amount of gas exchange or perfusion to sustain life.