https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="‼️" title="Double exclamation mark" aria-label="Emoji: Double exclamation mark">THREAD: Stories from OKC Metro Integris health workers.

“These patients are sicker than your average patient. This is definitely not the flu. Our COVID patients are sick for a long time,” Elise Kuykendall, D.O. She says what happens to the body is called the cytokine storm...

“This is when there is a severe immune reaction in which the body releases too many cytokines into the blood too quickly. Cytokines play an important role in the normal immune response but having a large amount of them released all at once can be harmful.”...

“Sometimes it can even be life threatening and lead to multiple organ failure.”

Now to Nurse Mary Lou White. “Once a patient is intubated, they can deteriorate quickly – sometimes within 24 hours. They struggle for air. They never seem to be able to catch their breath.”
...

Respiratory Therapist Caitlin Coppock knows her skill set is necessary to defeat this virus.
“I don’t think a lot of people understand what “flatten the curve” means. Flattening the curve does not mean we eliminate the disease completely...

... it just buys us more time to properly prepare for what could be coming. We may need more equipment, like ventilators, to handle the potential surge. But you need more than just the machines. You have to have individuals who are specifically trained to use those machines...

... It takes years of experience to truly understand how to critically care for these patients.”

End thread.

Thank you to @integrishealth for showing us what it’s like on the front lines of this COVID19 fight.