TAMPA, Fla — Most of the patients doctors are seeing in the hospital now are critical. They need help breathing because of the damage COVID-19 is causing to their lungs.
"It's been all hands on deck. We are pushing the limits to try and save people's lives because they are so young," Dr. Gaetane Michaud with USF Health said.
The pulmonologist says critical care doctors across Tampa Bay are trying to buy patients time, working 90 hour weeks. She's in charge of the critical care at Tampa General Hospital where 85 percent of the patients in the ICU are unvaccinated.
"You're gonna have lung scar for sure I think if you're getting to the point that you're hospitalized, and your breathing is that severe," Michaud said.
The damage from COVID-19 to their lungs is severe and many leave the hospital with lasting scars.
This is what a COVID-19 patient's lung looked like months ago. The lacy pattern is the scarring on the lungs.
Now with the Delta variant doctors are seeing a lot more scars. Just when patients seem to be getting better, they get worse again and very sick.
"We feel sad because we see these images, we know what they mean. We know what's coming every time you see an image of incredible destruction," Michaud said.
Dr. Michaud says once the lungs are damaged most of the scarring won't go away because the lung does not regenerate.
"It's too early to know how significant that scar is going to be over time. Certainly, we are increasing the number of people that we are sending to lung transplantation with COVID, so you know, we know that those lungs are not going to recover," Michaud said.