Within
the 'red' area of Infectious; Respiratory Engineer: We are facing a
special, threatening and unknown virus.
Ermand Mertenika ( Biomedical Engineer)
Ermand Mertenika is an engineer
of medical equipment, where during the months of pandemics, the focus has been
on respirators, as a lifesaver for COVID-19 patients. In an interview
given to Gazeta Shqiptare, the engineer tells us what happens inside the red
zone, at the intensive care unit of Infective. Mertenika further points
out that the increase in the numbers of those affected is not a second wave,
but according to him, a human coexistence with this virus.
Then when it seemed that COVID
was leaving, cases increased. Do you think we are dealing with the second
wave or are we still in the first wave?
Covid-19 is an aggressive and
specific virus, so it tends to destroy the pulmonary system (lungs) of
patients, ie the smallest units of the lungs which are called Alveoli, where
exactly the passage of oxygen in the blood takes place. So Covid-19 "occupies"
the space of the alveoli and this means that it blocks the transfer of oxygen
to the blood and as a result of the latter when the pathology escalates so it
worsens, then the lungs become dysfunctional and the patient dies
clinically. In order to prevent the patient from dying clinically, then
the devices that keep the patient alive artificially are used, ie ventilators
and resuscitators or respirators (artificial lungs). Currently considering
that Covid-19 Corona is a virus where you have not yet been vaccinated or
preventative medicine then we will coexist with this virus. From time to
time we have fluctuations in the values of infected people, so from time to
time we have an increase and decrease in the number of infected people, but it
is not yet a second Covid-19 wave.
Have you been to COVID
hospitals since March, how has the situation changed?
During this period we have a
decrease in the activity of Covid-19 compared to 2-3 months ago as given that
we are coexisting with Covid-19 Corona, the immune system of citizens is
beginning to gain an adaptation or a slight immunity to this virus, so in a way
we have a period of relaxation of Covid-19. So from time to time we will
have oscillations of the number of infected but that currently there is no talk
of a second wave.
What happens inside hospitals,
how are doctors inside the walls.
Within Covid hospitals it is
normally not easy as we are dealing with a confrontation of infected patients
who have breathing problems, ie obstruction of the first stage and up to that
of an acute condition.In case of shortness of breath but not in acute
condition, the mode of Resuscitation fans or Respirators with oxygen mask is
used, while in case the patient passes in acute condition, ie can not breathe,
then the mode of invasive Respirators with Intubation is used (ie with
application of the Endo-tracheal tube in the trachea (patient's throat) giving
forced oxygenation in other words artificial respiration exchange)
Resuscitators are those who are in the first line who face these infected
patients and understand the difficulty and the emotion that shows up as I
myself have been present at the installation of respiratory devices in the red
areas and really is an emotion that will remain in our memory permanently as we
are facing a particular virus a threatening virus and globally unknown.
