Shortly after Christmas Melissa Vicchitto was not feeling well and attributed her lethargy and loss of appetite to her pregnancy.\u00a0 Her symptoms progressed over the next several days and she had a hard time going up the stairs and developed a fever of 105 degrees.\u00a0 Her husband called 911 and took her to the nearest hospital emergency room where she was given a rapid test for COVID-19 that came back negative.<\/p>\n
Her oxygen needs were maxing out and a CT scan of her lungs looked as if they were that of a 30-year smoker. Due to concern about a serious lung condition and that she might need to be delivered prematurely she was transferred to UConn John Dempsey Hospital (JDH) for the benefit of its high-risk infant nursery.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though her initial tests were negative on her admission to JDH, we managed Melissa based on the risk factor that she worked in a facility that had COVID positive patients and she had contact with the nurses and doctors at that facility,\u201d says Dr. Winston Campbell, Professor and fellowship program director, Maternal-Fetal Medicine at UConn Health.<\/p>\n
Melissa was subsequently PCR tested at UConn Health which came back positive for COVID-19.<\/p>\n
When Melissa\u2019s respiratory status became a concern, she was moved to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) where she would be provided more intensive one-on-one care for her and the baby.<\/p>\n
The concern was that there would be the potential that her illness may lead to the need for a cesarean section (C-Section).<\/p>\n
\u201cI was put on the maximum oxygen and as a precaution in the event, they needed to intubate me, I had to fill out and sign forms to give permission if they needed to do a blood transfusion or a C-section,\u201d says Vecchitto.<\/p>\n
At that time, her baby, a girl due in April, was only 26-weeks-old and her concern was for her pregnancy and she feared they would have to do a C- Section.<\/p>\n
Doctors came a few times a day to check her and she had fetal monitoring every 8 hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cEveryone was so wonderful and caring, it wasn\u2019t just about me, but also the baby,\u201d says Vicchitto.<\/p>\n
Vicchitto was given Dexamethasone, a steroid that accelerates the maturation of fetal lungs and has been successfully used to help those with COVID. She was also given an antiviral, Remdesivir, and other antibiotics.<\/p>\n
While in the ICU, she used a special proning pillow to lay on her tummy for eight hours and her oxygen started getting better. Proning, or resting a patient on their stomach, opens up the lungs to facilitate breathing and increase oxygen levels. The proning pillow accommodates the changes that occur to the pregnant body and provides more comfort to the patient allowing them to stay in the prone position for many hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe proning pillow was a lifesaver,\u201d says Vicchitto.<\/p>\n