Carrying weight of virus work

Protective gear to guard against radiation left many front-line radiologists sweaty and exhausted

Doctor Luo Yi said workers in the radiology department of Tongji Hospital in Wuhan, Hubei province, literally carried a heavier load than others in the battle against the novel coronavirus outbreak.

"In addition to the ordinary white or blue protective suit that you see in news reports, we have to wear extra heavy gear that weighs about 8 kilograms to block harmful rays," he said.

Luo and his colleagues have been on the front line for nearly two months in the hardest-hit city by the virus, with most of their patients in severe or critical condition.

Before the outbreak, the radiology workers had operated in computed tomography scanning rooms, Luo said. However, after the epidemic increased in severity they had to move portable CT machines to the wards to test patients who could not move freely.

A portable CT scanner weighs 300 to 500 kilograms.

The machine is bulky, and Luo's job scanning the lungs of coronavirus-infected patients is a delicate procedure.

"Many of the patients are attached to numerous tubes, needles and monitoring wires. Some of those connections are vital and have to be avoided," Luo said. "Placing the patients in a good scanning position improves the accuracy of the result, but each move should be made extremely carefully."

The patience required to conduct the portable testing extended the usual scanning time for a patient from about 10 minutes to nearly half an hour.

Heavier patients also presented a greater problem.

Luo said he scanned one male patient who weighted about 100 kg. The procedure was successfully completed with the help of four doctors. "After the working day, all of us had the clothes under our protective suits soaked in sweat," he said.