COVID-19 Latino Patient Recovery: A Miracle After Beating the Virus, Two Blood Clots, and a Stroke

By Madelaine D. First Posted: Aug 18, 2020 10:28 AM EDT

A COVID-19 Latino patient endured coronavirus, two blood clots, and a stroke. Tito Velasquez, who courageously conquered the disease, finally returns to his family after 111 days in four different facilities in Northwell.

According to Dr. Jason Yan, emergency physician at Long Island Jewish (LIJ), during the peak of the COVID-19 surge in New York, "code blues" were frequent calls throughout hospitals. The situation was described as demoralizing as there weren't options for the coming of severe cases.

COVID-19 Latino Patient Recovery: A Miracle After 111 Days of Enduring the Virus Two Blood Clots and a Stroke

(Photo : Youtube Screenshot/ Northwell Health)
Tito Velasquez endured the coronavirus, two blood clots and a stroke. He finally returned to his family after 111 days thanks to his many health care heroes from four different Northwell facilities.

Dr. Yan stated a case that eventually spanned 111 days and took the patient to four facilities with had several near-death episodes was the scariest he witnessed. He recalled that 36-year-old Tito Velasquez, was younger than him. Velasquez is a Valley Stream, NY resident. "They were getting him onto the bed, and I just remember he barely looked alive," Dr. Yan said.

Velasquez was a relatively healthy man with no medical history, as per Northwell. Tito avoided going to the hospital despite running a fever for two weeks. He was fearful of being exposed to the virus. Velasquez said through a translator that his brother took him, but didn't remember anything. "I don't even know when they took me out of the house," he added.

Velasquez couldn't move his hands while working the day prior, which is an early sign of stroke. The stroke symptoms progressed that included his left-side and an altered mental state.

After then, the Latino man tested positive for COVID-19, and the additional tests revealed that he has two blood clots. One clot is in his brain that caused a small stroke, and the second clot is in his lung, which impaired his mind to oxygenate.

An interventional cardiologist at Northwell Health, Kyriaki Poumpouridis, MD, said, "His oxygen saturation was the lowest I've ever seen, really not compatible with life." Poumpouridis had been redeployed to treat COVID patients during the surge to LIJ Valley Stream.

"Certain people who have COVID can develop a disorder where their blood is more prone to clotting," Poumpouridis said. In Velasquez's case, COVID ravaged his lungs that left thick secretions and made oxygen impossible to pass to the blood even if he was intubated and put on 100% oxygen.

Most of the time, treatment options were limited because most of the COVID patients were older, as per Dr. Yan. "But a 36-year-old guy with his whole life ahead of him, it's worth everything that we would throw at him.

Tito's age made him a candidate for an invasive procedure called extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). For critically ill patients like Velasquez, the ECMO uses a machine to perform lung function. Harold Fernandez, M.D., the cardiothoracic surgeon, headed up Northwell's ECMO-to-go team and transitioned his role to help combat COVID.

Dr. Fernandez performed the procedure, which returned Tito's oxygen to normal instantly. The medical director at LIJ Valley Stream, Joseph Marino, M.D. believes that Tito's case was a miracle as it came at a time when people involved with Velasquez's care otherwise, those people wouldn't have been in their position if not for COVID.

On April 28, Velasquez was transferred to the ICU at LIJ Medical Center. He remained on ECMO for 30 more days and endured many complications such as collapsed lung, intra-abdominal bleeding, and multiple infections. Mangala Narasimhan, D.O., Director of critical care services at Northwell, said, "Every day was a different setback that we would all be devastated by and then be elated the next day when he would pull through."

On June 9, Velasquez was sent to Northern Westchester Hospital as his improvement continued. He was transferred to recover in the community hospital acute ventilator rehab unit (AVRU) pioneered during the COVID crisis, as per Northwell.

According to Richard Stumacher, M.D., Northern Westchester's chief of the division of pulmonary and critical care medicine, Velasquez took about a month, but he progressed.

Dr. Stumacher was amazed about how Tito fought and gave his all at all times.

Tito's effort matched every step a skilled and compassionate care team attempted, so the El Salvador native miraculously regained all of his lost function. The care team helped Velasquez to wean off the ventilator and overcome physical, occupational, and speech therapy. Velasquez, aside from conquering COVID-19, also defeated paralysis on his left side, and the inability to walk and communicate properly.

Tito's nurse, Emily Battiloro, said, "And the day he left, he was walking, talking and smiling, and laughing." Battiloro used to dance alongside Velasquez to his favorite bachata music. On August 17, Velasquez finally went home and was ready to go back to a healthy life after another month at the Stern Family Center for Rehabilitation.

Tito Velasquez expressed his gratitude by saying, "I would like to thank all my doctors and nurses for all the attentive care they gave me because they had acted like my family." As per Northwell, it took 111 days for Velasquez to recover fully. He was also sent in four different facilities, which Dr. Marino believes that miracles do happen.