Surat: After spending nearly six weeks on a ventilator, a patient suffering from severe malaria and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has started breathing independently again, following sustained intensive treatment at Surat Municipal Corporation-run SMIMER Hospital.The 29-year-old Dindoli resident was referred to SMIMER’s medicine department from a private hospital in a critical condition. Doctors said that at the time of admission, he was unconscious, unable to speak or walk, and was on full ventilator support with an endotracheal tube inserted for breathing.Medical evaluation confirmed malaria complicated by ARDS, a condition in which the lungs become severely inflamed and fail to provide adequate oxygen. The patient’s blood pressure was also unstable, requiring continuous injections and critical care measures to maintain circulation.He was treated for an extended period in the ICU, where a team of doctors provided round-the-clock monitoring. Along with antimalarial therapy, the patient received respiratory support and intensive management to stabilise blood pressure and improve lung function. Over time, his condition began to show gradual improvement. As his blood pressure stabilised, doctors discontinued vasopressor injections, and ventilator support was reduced step by step as lung performance improved.Given the prolonged need for assisted breathing, doctors performed a tracheostomy, inserting a breathing tube through a small opening in the neck. Hospital officials said the tube remains in place under medical supervision and will be removed at an appropriate time once the patient is fully stable.SMIMER Hospital said the recovery was made possible by coordinated ICU care led by Unit Head Dr Deepak Shukla and a team of senior and resident doctors, supported by modern critical-care facilities.
