(ECNS) -- An elderly COVID-19 patient once on ECMO was discharged form hospital in Beijing on Wednesday.
The female patient surnamed Ma, 79, was admitted on February 5.
Four days later she was hooked up to an ECMO machine as her condition deteriorated.
The machine functions as an extracorporeal heart-lung mechanism and delivers healthy oxygen to the blood of a critically ill patient.
After multiple treatments, the patient's nucleic acid test result returned negative on Feb 23, following which she was taken off the ECMO on March 3.
"I will fight to live another 20 years, to 100, 101 and 102, " she said.
Liu Jingyuan, dean of the ICU department at Beijing Ditan Hospital, said the patient still needs oxygen while at home and a check up every two weeks.
Ma is the first patient to have recovered via ECMO in the capital city.
