Focus Taiwan
Date: 05/07/2020
By: Chiu Chun-chin and Matthew Mazzetta

Taoyuan, May 7 (CNA) State-run Taoyuan General Hospital said Thursday it successfully used blood purification techniques to treat a patient suffering from complications of COVID-19, though a government expert cautioned more research is needed to determine the overall efficacy of the treatment.

At a press conference, nephrologist Wang Wei-chieh (王偉傑) said his team used the techniques to inhibit an extreme immune response — known as a "cytokine storm" — which often causes death in severe COVID-19 patients.

The patient in question was a 52-year-old woman who was diagnosed with COVID-19 on March 15, Wang said.

On March 24, she was intubated after developing severe respiratory symptoms, and transferred to a negative-pressure isolation room two days later, he said.    [FULL  STORY]