SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton: Miracle Coronavirus Patient Put On Lung Transplant List After 78 Days On ECMO

Press release from SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton:

February 3, 2022

What started as a bad cough in October 2021 turned into life-threatening complications from COVID for Bryan Glebavicius, 27 of Wright City, Mo., and led to a nearly three-month stay at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital.

Just a few days after being admitted to SLU Hospital, Bryan was put on ECMO (extracorporeal membrane oxygenation), a life-saving treatment that pumps oxygen into the bloodstream.

“I pray with all my heart and soul that they can save him,” wrote his mother, Pat Chrismer-Glebavicius, in a Facebook post. “If you are not vaccinated just look at what he is going through. Get your vaccine folks, I will preach this forever and always. I would rather see you all 6 feet apart and not 6 feet under.”

Bryan would end up staying on ECMO at SLU Hospital for a record-breaking 78 days – the longest a patient at SLU Hospital has ever survived on ECMO.

“Exceptional care delivery, persistence, and mission-driven advocacy all came together to save this patient's life,” said Steven M. Scott, hospital president. “Thank you to Nichole Russell, Drs. Prasad, Abo-Salem, Charbek, Kamel, our ECMO team and the entire 4N ICU team for their dedication to this patient’s care. We’d also like to recognize Lisa Erlinger in Case Management, whose diligence, tireless persistence and focus on the patient led to her obtaining Medicaid for him which lead to his acceptance for lung transplantation.”

“This is a huge win for our team,” added Nichole Russell, cardiac program manager at SLU Hospital. “We could not have gotten him where he is today if it were not for these people.”

Bryan was transferred to Barnes-Jewish Hospital for potential lung transplant on January 24, 2021.

“The transplant team has been starting to run tests and coming in and talking to us,” said Pat in a Facebook post on January 27. “Respiratory came in and he was able to talk and talk. Something he hasn't done in months. A lot of jokes were told today and stories of him. It was a good day.”

Pat was interviewed by a St. Louis news station last November, just a few days after Bryan was originally put on ECMO. She said before Bryan tested positive for COVID he was “healthy as a horse” and he did not have any pre-existing medical conditions, which doctors at SLU Hospital confirmed. She did, however, admit that he was not vaccinated, so her message to viewers was clear: “If you’re not vaccinated… you need to be a vaccinated. This isn’t nothing to mess with.”

Many of Bryan’s nurses have friended Pat on Facebook so they can stay updated on his progress.

“The nurses, PT, OT, RT and ECMO nurses have been so wonderful at SLUH,” Pat said on the day Bryan was transferred to Barnes. “A special thank you to Lisa and all her hard work she did for us. And another thank you to all the doctors that took care of Bryan. We will miss you all!”

This press release was produced by SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.