After nearly two months of being sedated and connected to IV lines in a hospital’s intensive care unit, Francisco Espana took a moment to fill his ailing lungs with fresh air at a Barcelona beachfront. Lying on a hospital bed at the beach promenade and surrounded by a doctor and three nurses who constantly monitored his vital signs, Espana briefly closed his eyes and absorbed as much sunshine as possible. A medical team at the Hospital del Mar — the Hospital of the Seas — is seeing if short trips to the beach just across the street can help COVID-19 patients after long and sometimes traumatic ICU stays.
After nearly two months of being sedated and connected to IV lines in a hospital’s intensive care unit, Francisco Espana took a moment to fill his ailing lungs with fresh air at a Barcelona beachfront. Lying on a hospital bed at the beach promenade and surrounded by a doctor and three nurses who constantly monitored his vital signs, Espana briefly closed his eyes and absorbed as much sunshine as possible. A medical team at the Hospital del Mar — the Hospital of the Seas — is seeing if short trips to the beach just across the street can help COVID-19 patients after long and sometimes traumatic ICU stays.