I have no words to express my gratitude to the entire team of the Infectious Diseases Department at Acibadem Sistina Hospital, but above all to Dr. Patricija Kalamaras, an infectious diseases specialist; thanks to her I am living my second life. With those words 58-year-old Rade Simonovski begins the story of his fight with Covid-19 that he and his family won. Everyone in Rade’s family was infected with SARS CoV-2 virus. His children were asymptomatic, his wife had headache and mild symptoms for a few days, but Rade was faced with a major fight against the virus. The disease resulted in pneumonia and he had to be treated with ozone therapy for several days. But despite the complications, he did not give up at any moment, he had complete confidence in Dr. Kalamaras and knew that he would get appropriate and the best treatment at Acibadem Sistina Hospital. “I had high temperature and severe back pain. After performing X-ray and complete blood count, D-dimer level was 180 – within normal ranges, but despite that I lost my sense of taste and smell after a few days, I had a sore throat and severe cough and I felt that my condition was getting worse. I immediately contacted Dr. Kalamaras and upon her recommendation I was hospitalized at the Infectious Diseases Department of Acibadem Sistina Hospital. The results showed that I had pneumonia in early stages, but I had complete confidence in Dr. Kalamaras and I knew I was at the right place.

I was hospitalized at the Department for 8 days and left home completely healthy. “I can only send immense gratitude to the doctor and say that thank to her I am alive today”, Rade said. The patient was prescribed oxygen therapy, he was administered fluids intravenously and a combination of antibiotic therapy, corticosteroid and anticoagulant therapy. He was also treated with hemofiltration. Dr. Patricija Kalamaras, an infectious disease specialist, emphasized that the patient developed a cytokine storm as well, and due to it he was treated with therapy designed exclusively for such a condition. “The patient was in a very serious condition, many examinations were performed and the conclusion was that a hospitalization is necessary, as it was confirmed during the further treatment.”In a few days, the patient developed a cytokine storm requiring a special therapy and following the intervention the patient was stabilized so after the successful treatment he went home in good health”, said Dr. Kalamaras. Treating cytokine storm, as she explains, means accurate timing of medical response, meeting certain conditions and following certain parameters to “match all the cubes”.

Such therapy cannot be used in any patient since there are certain preconditions that need to be met and it is necessary to respond in time to the cytokine storm to have a successful treatment. “If it didn’t start on time and the patient wasn’t treated clinically, there would have been a different outcome”.

DOCTORS WERE WHOLEHEARTEDLY CARING FOR US AND NURSES EVEN SANG TO GIVE US STRENGHT

Two months after his treatment, Rade says that he feels good and that he is happy with every moment spent with his family. He expresses his deepest gratitude to the medical team and the hospital management for establishing a ward for patients with severe clinical presentation of Covid-19. “I am immensely satisfied with the treatment I received from the medical staff and the overall communication with the staff, and I would like to thank not only Dr. Kalamaras, but also Dr. Hari and Dr. Shikov for their sacrifice and for caring not only for me, but for all patients.

It was my impression that the doctors did not even go home, they were always at our disposal. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the nursing staff, who were a great support to us in the fight against this unpredictable virus. There were moments when they were bringing therapy to our rooms singing. It was a pleasant surprise because in the most difficult moments for us their song had a positive effect. My deepest gratitude to Mr. Jordan Kamchev for establishing such a center helping patients and saving hundreds of lives”, says the 58-year-old patient.

THE TREATMENT IS THE SAME AS IN THE MOST EMINENT HOSPITALS IN THE WORLD

As Dr. Patricija Kalamaras emphasizes, patients with Covid-19 at Acibadem Sistina Hospital are cared for by a leading expert team from several specialties, i.e. infectious diseases specialists, anesthesiologists, cardiologists and internists, and the latest therapies and treatment methods recommended by WHO are applied. At Acibadem Sistina Hospital, every WHO recommendation is followed and new therapies for Covid-19 patients are constantly procured. Every patient at Acibadem Sistina Hospital is treated as in the most eminent medical centers in the world. However, there is no unified therapy for Covid-19 patients, each patient is treated individually, depending on his/her comorbidities, course of disease and laboratory test results, i.e. we are applying unique therapy for each patient individually, explains Dr. Kalamaras.

She adds that she has a special approach in the treatment of patients with Covid-19 and apart from medical treatment she also offers them psychological support. “I think that patients also need psychological support, especially due to the fact that this virus regularly leads to some level of depression or psychosis. And I am not saying this only for the patients who are hospitalized in the Infectious Diseases Department, who can contact me at any time, but also for the patients who are treated on an outpatient basis. They also need daily support and that is why we contact them several times a day. I am constantly with the patients, whenever they need me, to help them both therapeutically and through psychological support”, says Dr. Kalamaras.