On Thursday, President Donald Trump had to receive 2 liters of oxygen therapy after his oxygen saturation level went below 94%. However, he never experienced shortness of breath, according to his personal physician.
During a press conference on Sunday, Dr. Sean Conley, Trump’s personal physician, also said dexamethasone has been added to his treatment regime.
Backed at the briefing by a team of doctors from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Dr. Conley said Trump might be discharged from the hospital as early as Monday.
On Saturday, the president again received supplemental oxygen after his oxygen saturation dipped to 93%. According to Dr. Conley, Trump’s most recent oxygen saturation level was 98%. Overall, his levels never dropped below 90%.
The president’s personal physician and his care team at Walter Reed also initiated steroidal therapy (dexamethasone) on Saturday “because of the timeline since his initial diagnosis.”
There is growing evidence suggesting that dexamethasone could help patients with serious COVID-19 infection.
Dr. Eric Topol of Scripps Research in La Jolla, California, and editor-in-chief of Medscape Medical News, raised concerns over the use of dexamethasone given the president’s brief need for supplemental oxygen, questioning the results of a trial analyzing oxygen therapy.
Dr. Conley was asked why he did not comment on the oxygen therapy during the briefing on Saturday. He replied, “I was trying to reflect the upbeat attitude of the team. In doing so, it came off that we were trying to hide something, which is not necessarily true.”
“The fact of the matter is that he is doing very well,” he added.
Dr. Sean Dooley, Pulmonologist at Walter Reed, said Trump remains on room air and has been walking about the unit, adding, the president has not had a fever since Friday and his other parameters are normal or improving.
Dr. Brian Garibaldi, who is a part of Trump’s medical team, said in addition to initiating dexamethasone, Trump received a second dose of remdesivir, “which he has tolerated well without any side effects.”
Remdesivir, developed by Gilead Sciences, has been found effective at treating COVID-19, according to clinical trials.
Replying to reporters about Trump’s lung scan results, Dr. Conley said, “There were some expected findings, but nothing of any concern,” adding that the president has been assessed for lung function via spirometry and “maxing it at 2500 mL each time.”
Dr. Conley and his team also said that Trump’s health status continues to improve. He could be discharged from the hospital today if he continues on this trajectory. Trump’s medical team has been encouraging him to be up and out of bed as much as possible, Dr. Garibaldi said. “We hope to discharge him as early as tomorrow to the White House where he can continue his treatment course,” he added.
