'Miracle' COVID Patient Eligible for Lung Transplant After Treatment
ST. LOUIS – Some are calling the present-day recovery of 27-year-old Bryan Glebavicius nothing short of a "miracle." Glebavicius, of Maryville, IL., spent a record-breaking 78 days on ECMO, at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. ECMO stands for extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. The ECMO machine is similar to the heart-lung by-pass machine used in open-heart surgery. It pumps and oxygenates a patient's blood outside the body, allowing the heart and lungs to rest. What started as a bad cough in October 2021 turned into life-threatening complications from COVID for Glebavicius, and led to a nearly three-month stay at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. Bryan was transferred to Barnes-Jewish Hospital for a potential lung transplant on January 24, 2021. Just a few days after being admitted to SLU Hospital, Bryan was put on ECMO. “Exceptional care delivery, persistence, and mission-driven advocacy all came together to save this patient's life,”