In the ICU of Wuhan Union Hospital West Campus, Mr Yang, a 56 years old COVID-19 patient, was taken off ventilator and left with weak limbs. Due to the impairment of his renal function, he could not use any medication. On April 7, the reporter with Changjiang Daily got to know that, the hospital adopted integrated TCM and western medicine to critical cases and with an acupuncture therapy a day, Mr. Yang’s muscle was gaining strength gradually.

Mr. Yang had been intubated for his critical disease in ICU, with underlying conditions of hypertension and diabetes. 

Taken off ventilator, Mr. Yang, with weak-muscled limbs for staying long in bed, could not stand up by himself. Considering that an increased medication would put more burdens to his impaired renal function, Chen Rui, head of the TCM group, and Guo Yanxi, an acupuncturist, made an adjustment to the treating plan by using acupuncture therapy to recover the muscle.

On March 19, before his acupuncture therapy, Mr. Yang’s upper limb strength was in zero level and his lower limb strength in Level 2. After an acupuncture therapy each day, his upper limb strength returned to Level 2 and his lower limb strength returned to Level 4, which was an obvious improvement. 

Prof. Chen Rui explained that, with a TCM group set up in the hospital, each of their severe cases and critical cases was given a tailored TCM prescription and the integrated TCM and western medicine treatment was adopted to save lives and treat patients.

On the basis of the national diagnosis and treatment protocol and with the guidance of Zhang Boli, an expert of the Central Steering Group and an academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, and Liu Qingquan, president of Beijing TCM Hospital, Wuhan Union Hospital West Campus developed 6 agreed TCM formulas. According to the change of their medical conditions, one formula will be selected for each critical or severe case.

Till now, there are 52 severe and critical cases in Wuhan Union Hospital West Campus. If with no contraindications, the patients will all be given integrated TCM and western medicine treatment. As of April 5, Wuhan Union Hospital West Campus has hospitalized 1649 cases, with 1428 recovered and discharged, and 97.6% of them have received TCM treatment.