“That was totally terrible” – Freiburg

. On March 21, 2020, the first person in Freiburg died of a coronavirus infection. Senior physician Johannes Kalbhenn has since faced the death of Covid 19 patients in the intensive care unit of the Freiburg University Hospital. In an interview with Max Schuler, he says how helpless he felt at the beginning of the pandemic, what damage the coronavirus does in the body and what gives him courage.

BZ: What is the current situation in the intensive care units of the Freiburg University Clinic?
Kalbhenn: We still have Covid-19 patients in the intensive care units. These are mainly people who have been treated here for weeks or months. But we also have many other intensive care patients because during the second wave many serious operations were postponed and will be rescheduled. That is why we are now fully occupied. As far as Corona is concerned, we can at least take a breather in the intensive care units.
BZ: According to the health department, a little more than 300 people in Freiburg and the Breisgau-Hochschwarzwald district died of or with a coronavirus infection. Many were in the clinic. Can you tell us what is the major cause of death in your patients?
Calf hen: Corona is a disease that not only affects the lungs. Corona affects all organs and, for example, muscles. The problem is that the virus penetrates into the gutter membranes and causes severe inflammation there. The lungs contain many vessels, which is why they are often damaged in these patients too. Severe pneumonia remains a typical symptom. So there are patients with an acute corona infection who die of a lack of oxygen. The …

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