COVID recovery after 35-day coma, Indian-origin doctor had to re-learn to walk

A doctor of Indian origin in the UK recovered from COVID-19 after spending over a month in a medically induced coma. The doctor was on ECMO- Extra Corporeal Membrane Oxygenation on her doctor’s advice as the last resort for about 35 days. 

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After coming out of the coma, Dr Anushka Gupta had to re-learn how to stand and walk. “My family has been absolutely amazing. My daughter, my husband, they have been behind me every step of the way,” she said in an interview with NDTV. 

Including the time of recovery, Gupta spent 150 days in the hospital for her recovery. 

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Dr Gupta had contracted the novel coronavirus around her 40th birthday, in March 2020. Her condition started deteriorating when her oxygen saturation dropped below 80%. 

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While she was admitted, one day the ICU consultant told her that she had to be ventilated. Following which she called her husband and asked to see their daughter who was 18-months-old at the time. “I was ventilated and days after I had to go on ECMO,” she added.

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ECMO is a life support system that functions as a pair of lungs until the lungs recover and heal. 

While commenting on India’s pandemic, she advised the nation to abide by social distancing rules and to get vaccinated.