TO HIS JOB ALREADY, AND HE IS ABLE TO WORK FROM HOME.
HODA.
HODA. >> SUCH GOOD NEWS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, JOE.
JOINING US NOW IS NBC MEDICAL
CONTRIBUTOR NATALIE AZAR.
SHE SPENT THE LAST WEEK WORKING
ON A COVID-19 FLOOR IN LANGONE.
TELL US ABOUT THE EXPERIMENTAL
DRUG.
DRUG. >> PATIENTS THAT GOT REMDESIVIR,
THEY GET A TEN-DAY COURSE,
UNLIKE THIS PATIENT WITH HALF
THE COURSE, SEVERE BREATHE
PROBLEMS REMOVED AND HALF GOT
OFF VENTILATION.
OFF VENTILATION. THE PROBLEM IS THERE WAS NO
CONTROL GROUPS.
CONTROL GROUPS. WE REALLY CAN’T SAY DO THE
PATIENTS GROOVE BECAUSE OF THE
DRUG OR WOULD THEY HAVE IMPROVED
ANYWAY.
ANYWAY. ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT, HOW LONG
DO YOU GIVE THE DRUG, WHO DO YOU
GIVE THE DRUG TO AND WHEN IN THE
COURSE DO YOU GIVE IT, BETTER
EARLY OR LATE.
THAT’S WHY WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT
HOW IMPORTANT TO HAVE PLACEBO
CONTROL BLIND STUDIES TO BE ABLE
TO TELL IS IT A DRUG EFFECT OR
NOT.
NOT. IT’S CERTAINLY GOOD TO SEE THIS
BUT NOTHING DEFINITIVE.
>> INTERESTING ARTICLE IN THE
"WALL STREET JOURNAL" THAT
TALKED ABOUT THE SYMPTOMS OF
COVID-19, HOW IT AFFECTS YOUR
HEARTS, YOUR LUNGS.
SOMETHING ADDED TO THAT LIST IS
HOW IT AFFECTS YOUR BRAIN.
>> RIGHT.
>> RIGHT. YOU KNOW WHAT I’VE SAID ABOUT
THIS DISEASE, HODA, I FEEL LIKE
EVERY FEW DAYS IT THROWS A NEW
CURVEBALL, WE FIND OUT SOMETHING
NEW ABOUT IT.
IT’S NOT UNPRECEDENTED THAT A
VIRUS COULD AFFECT THE NERVOUS
SYSTEM.
SYSTEM. IN THE JAMA ARTICLE RECENTLY
RELEASED SOME COMMON SYMPTOMS,
HEADACHE, DIZZINESS, IMPAIRED
CONSCIOUSNESS, MUSCLE PROBLEMS
AND, OF COURSE, THE LOSS OF
TASTE AND SMELL THAT HIT THE
AIRWAVES A COUPLE WEEKS AGO
BECAUSE WE WERE LIKE, WOW, I
CAN’T BELIEVE THIS IS HAPPENING.
SOME OF THE MORE SERIOUS SIDE
EFFECTS, MANIFESTATIONS WERE
STROKE AND SEIZURE.
FOR NEUROLOGISTS, THEY SAY IF
THEY ARE PRESENTING WITH THESE
STRANGE SYMPTOMS, THINK OF
COVID-19.
COVID-19. IT CAN PRESENT IN A MYRIAD OF
WAYS.
WAYS. >> YOU HEAR ABOUT PEOPLE
HALLUCINATING AND THINGS LIKE
THAT.
THAT. YOU DID SOMETHING LAST WEEK.
YOU WENT TO A HOSPITAL, WORKED
12-HOUR SHIFTS.
12-HOUR SHIFTS. YOU WERE RIGHT THERE ON THE
FRONTLINE.
FRONTLINE. YOU ACTUALLY GOT TO SEE WHAT
IT’S LIKE UP CLOSE.
WHETHER OR NOT STRUCK YOU ABOUT
YOUR TIME IN THE HOSPITAL?
>> OH, MY GOD, SO MANY
PERSPECTIVES, HODA.
PERSPECTIVES, HODA. ONE OF THE THINGS I ALWAYS SAY
FROM THE BEGINNING IS THAT I
JUST HAVE TO ACKNOWLEDGE, MY
TOUR OF DUTY WAS REALLY SHORT
COMPARED TO THE PEOPLE WHO HAVE
BEEN DOING THIS FROM THE
BEGINNING.
BEGINNING. WHEN I TALK ABOUT THE NETWORK
AND COLLABORATION, I’M TALKING
DOCTORS, NURSES, RESPIRATORY
THERAPISTS, RADIOLOGY TECHS,
HOUSEKEEPING, ALL OF THESE FOLKS
WHO ARE EXPOSING THEMSELVES ON A
REGULAR BASIS, I JUST HAVE THE
UTMOST ADMIRATION FOR.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY,
REALLY HIT HOME TO ME WAS JUST
HOW ISOLATED THE PATIENTS ARE.
YOU KNOW, THEY ARE IN THEIR OWN
ROOMS.
ROOMS. THE NUMBER OF STAFF WHO GOES IN
AND OUT IS LIMITED OR RESTRICTED
IN TERMS OF THE TIMES AT THE
BEDSIDE SO WHAT I FOUND TO BE
ONE OF THE MOST REWARDING
EXPERIENCES WAS TO BE ABLE TO
PROVIDE MEDICAL CARE BUT I FEEL
LIKE I WAS GIVING THEM SOMETHING
ELSE, AND THAT WAS JUST CONTACT
WITH A HUMAN, ALBEIT THROUGH ALL
OF MY PPE, BUT JUST A LITTLE
TIME TO GIVE THEM A FEELING OF
HUMAN-TO-HUMAN CONTACT.
HUMAN-TO-HUMAN CONTACT. THAT TO ME WAS ONE OF THE MOST
REWARDING PARTS OF MY
EXPERIENCE.
EXPERIENCE. >> IT’S INTERESTING THAT DOCTORS
AND NURSES NOW ARE NOT ONLY
FULFILLING THEIR MEDICAL ROLL,
THEY HAVE TO FULFILL THE ROLL OF
FAMILIES BECAUSE FAMILIES CAN’T
BE THERE.
BE THERE. THEY HAVE TO BE THERE WITH CELL
PHONES, FACETIME CALLS AND
REASSURING EVERYONE, RIGHT?
>> ABSOLUTELY.
>> ABSOLUTELY. THERE WAS ONE PATIENT IN
PARTICULAR, EVERY SINGLE TIME I
WALKED INTO HIS ROOM, HE ALREADY
HAD HIS PHONE IN HIS HAND AND
IMMEDIATELY STARTED DIALING ONE
OF HIS FRIENDS.
THERE WAS ALSO A LANGUAGE
BARRIER FOR SOME OF THE
PATIENTS, SO THAT WAS REALLY
ANOTHER CHALLENGE.
ANOTHER CHALLENGE. SO EVERY TIME HE SAW ME WALK IN,
HE IMMEDIATELY DIALED HIS
FRIENDS SO WE COULD HAVE A
CONVERSATION, WHICH THAT JUST
STUCK WITH ME.
AND I WOULD SAY THEY ARE ALL
WATCHING THE NEWS ABOUT
COVID-19.
COVID-19. THEY ARE LYING IN BED WITH
COVID-19.
COVID-19. IT WAS ALL VERY, VERY SURREAL ON
LEVELS.
LEVELS. >> SOMETHING TO KEEP IN MIND.
DR. NATALIE, THANK YOU FOR WHAT
YOU DID AND THANK YOU FOR
JOINING US THIS MORNING.
>> THANKS, HODA.
>> YOU MAKE A GOOD POINT.
DOCTORS AND NURSES CALL ON TO DO
SO MUCH MORE THESE DAYS.
>> TRYING TO DIVIDE THEIR TIME.
I WAS LISTENING TO A DOCTOR TALK
ABOUT IT.
ABOUT IT. I HAVE TO CARE FOR ANOTHER
PATIENT BUT I NEED TO BE HERE
FOR THIS PERSON WHILE THEY GO
THROUGH THIS DIFFICULT TIME.