The COVID-19 Treatment Department at FV Hospital applies an international treatment process based on scientific evidence to ensure safety and high treatment efficiency to Covid-19 patients. Treatment protocols are based on guidelines from the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) and the British National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). In addition, the department also follows several new guidelines issued from Vietnamese medical authorities and facilities on the treatment of COVID-19.
F0 patients are monitored remotely. The parameters of oxygen saturation in peripheral blood (Sp02), heart rate, breathing rate and electrocardiogram (ECG) are all updated continuously on the screen located in the administrative area of the Department. Elderly patients and patients with severe symptoms will be monitored directly through the surveillance camera system. The objective is to help medical staff respond as quickly as possible when a patient has complications, or an issue occurs which impacts treatment equipment or the ability to monitor their vitals.
The medicine for F0 patients is mainly based on the recommendations of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Accordingly, FV is using groups of anti-inflammatory drugs, anticoagulants, and Tocilizumab monoclonal antibodies to cure F0 patients. In addition, Remdesivir, an antiviral drug approved by the FDA to treat COVID-19 patients, is also indicated for some specific cases. Any prescriptions used by patients at FV, including those with COVID-19, are reviewed by clinical pharmacists for medication compliance, dosage and accuracy. This is a mandatory commitment to patient safety for Joint Commission International (JCI)-certified hospitals.
Nutrition is especially important for patients with COVID-19. Currently, nutritionists and a team of nutrition consultants are actively supporting the COVID-19 Treatment Department. The nutritional regimen of each patient is calculated in detail to suit the condition and the treatment process.
Depending on the individual health condition of each patient, FV’s nutritionists and nurses will decide how to ensure they receive optimal nutrition during the treatment process.
Physiotherapy is also an important part of the treatment for F0 patients, especially those who are critically ill, rely on a ventilator and are unable to move. Medical staff will help the patient adjust the lying position to expel phlegm and take a better breath. Additionally, it also helps patients to increase movement to support blood circulation, increase metabolism, to promote treatment efficiency, and to limit problems of ulcers and infections caused by lying in one position for a long time.
After all, the psychological factor is essential therapy in the treatment of any illness. Together with visiting and encouraging patients, doctors also dedicate two hours a day to call patients’ family members and relatives to keep them updated about the health of their loved ones. Due to rules around restricting patient visits, many families will be worried about situation at the hospital. Therefore, FV also tries to support not only COVID-19 patients at the hospital, but also their anxious relatives at home.
The COVID-19 Treatment Department is located on the 4th floor of F building, with 63 beds for people who do not need ventilators and 15 beds for High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) oxygen therapy—a great assistance for F0 patients with dyspnoea which involves the continuous delivery of up to 60 L/min through a nasal cannula, with optimal heat and humidity.
Beside the treatment area for COVID-19 patients on the 4th floor, FV Hospital has also allocated five rooms dedicated to pregnant women infected with COVID-19 on the fifth floor and a system of specially pressurised operating rooms for COVID-19 patients requiring surgical treatment.
To meet the huge oxygen demand of F0 patients, FV has also built a large oxygen supply system with a liquid oxygen tank capacity of up to 10 cubic metres which is refilled weekly by Air Liquide, one of the leading liquefied petroleum gas producers in the world. The Medical Equipment Department has also calculated the daily oxygen use of the whole hospital to operate the system to ensure that the oxygen supply is always clean and there is no shortage during this time.
