Doctor Finds Lung Damage In Asymptomatic COVID-19 Patient

KEY POINTS

Man, 59, showed lung damage due to COVID-19
Patient was asymptomatic and healthy days prior
Patient now in critical condition in the ICU

A doctor found lung damage in a COVID-19 patient who was asymptomatic just days earlier.

Dr. Keith Mortman, chief of thoracic surgery at George Washington University Hospital created a 360-degree image of the lungs of a male coronavirus patient, 59, who was generally healthy except for a history of high blood pressure, CNN reported.

A video shows the lungs of a man who had been asymptomatic a few days earlier. Now, the patient has coronavirus and his lungs are failing to function properly. A hospital in Washington, DC recently released a 3D video of the patient's lungs. https://t.co/HXoIuQhGyg
— CNN (@CNN) March 26, 2020

"This is a guy who’s minding his own business and gets it," Mortman told CNN. "If we were to repeat the [360-degree virtual reality images] now, that is one week later, there is a chance that the infection and inflammatory process could be worse."

According to the New York Post, the patient remains in critical condition in the ICU and required a ventilator on the highest setting for him to breathe and Mortman said that it is still not sure if the patient will fully recover since the damage has been irreversible for most patients.