Survived Coronavirus, Had Windpipe Blockage Months Later, Returned From Death

Sümeyra Üçözden, who was infected with coronavirus and intubated in Kayseri in October last year, had serious shortness of breath in the period following her discharge from the hospital despite recovering from the disease. Although the airway stenosis was enlarged by endoscopy twice in Kayseri, it narrowed again rapidly. Upon this, Miss Sümeyra, who came to Istanbul for treatment, regained her health with surgery performed with a special technique. Today, she can breathe easily...

Sümeyra Üçözden, 31, who lives in KAYSERI, had coronavirus with her family last October. As a result of her complaints, she was taken to the hospital. After the examinations, she was taken to intensive care because the virus intensively affected her lungs. The young woman, who was in intensive care for 40 days, recovered completely from the disease by fighting a prolonged serious life battle despite being connected to a dialysis machine as a result of her heart-stopping twice and her kidneys being damaged. However, although he recovered from the disease, she started to suffer from severe shortness of breath instead of recovering during her discharge from the hospital. The diameter of the trachea, which was supposed to be 20 millimeters, had dropped to 5 millimeters due to intubation damage and began to threaten her life.

Dean of Yeditepe University Faculty of Medicine and Head of Chest Surgery Department of Yeditepe University Hospitals Prof. Dr. Sina Ercan operated Üçözden with a special technique at a level very close to the vocal cords, and regained her health.

“I Have Been Told That It Was Miracle That I am Alive”

Sümeyra Üçözden, who explained that she had problems using her voice when she woke up after the coronavirus treatment, explained what she experienced at that time as follows: “When I came to myself, there were serious wounds on my lip, back, knee, hip, and coccyx. I thought it was normal for me to have trouble talking. The doctors said to my husband and family, 'Her condition is so critical, but we are doing our best.' My parents came to say goodbye to me many times. Those days passed now.

But when I got out of the hospital, one day I realized that I could not breathe when I was doing breathing exercises. I felt like I was drowning, and my husband immediately called 112 Emergency Services. They immediately intervened and I began to breathe. But the doctors said I had a shortness of breath and my life was in danger.”

“His Trachea Was The Thickness of a Straw”

Coronavirus cases can come up with different tables. Yeditepe University Kosuyolu Hospital Chest Surgery Department Head Prof. Dr. Sina Ercan gave the following information:

“Mrs. Üçözden had a very serious disease course that progressed in a short time. A critical case was encountered that affected all organ systems. After a long treatment, just as she had recovered from the coronavirus, this time she had shortness of breath. The trachea was so narrowed that the airway diameter was 5 millimeters. That part of the trachea was only a straw thick. These patients live in fear of losing their lives. Because even a little sputum that they cannot spill can lead to drowning.”

Stating that they performed the surgery with a special technique for this very difficult case, Prof. Dr. Sina Ercan told the following about the operation:

“The area just below the vocal cord is 360 degrees circularly, like a ring, where there is bone cartilage. Next to it are two very thin nerves that control the movements of the vocal cords. At this point, it is necessary to completely remove the stenosis and protect the nerves leading to the vocal cords. Thanks to a special technique, that protects the nerves, we got both the back and front of the trachea, which was damaged and narrowed. We reshaped the lower normal trachea to match the location of the removed damaged area, added it to the tip, and made a complete recovery. After such a complex surgery, we were very pleased to see completely normal airway anatomy with no permits left in the place where the control tomography was surgically re-attached today.”

“I Will Get Better With Sound Exercises”

Üçözden stated that she regained her health after the surgery: "My inability to breathe affected my whole body. I am all right now. I do not have a hair loss problem anymore; my walking is better now. My condition started to heal rapidly after the surgery. During the period when I had shortness of breath, my vocal cords were irritated due to my misuse of my voice with anxiety and very pressure. Now, with the sound exercises shown to me, I will overcome this small problem and return to my old self.”

“We Do Not Have Aesthetic Concerns”

Mehmet Akif Üçözden, who is closely witnessing all the difficulties experienced by his wife, "All my wife's body functions stopped in the intensive care unit. After that, we started to wait for 24 hours. When we look at today, we do not care about scars and minor aesthetic concerns. They have little voice fragility. Our treatment with voice therapy continues.”