In 1976, during an outbreak of flu that hit several nursing homes in Vietnam, one small detail marked the difference between surviving… or not.
In one of those institutions, with no access to advanced medical technology, caregivers resorted to a technique as simple as it is powerful: postural drainage.
They would place towels under patients’ chests or comfort them on inclined beds, allowing gravity to help drain pulmonary secretions and keep airways clear.
They had no antivirals.
They had no fans.
They didn’t have fancy teams.
All they had was towels, wit and constant surveillance.
And most amazing thing: it worked.
In that residence no life was lost, while in others, where this technique was not applied, the deaths were numerous.
Outside Vietnam, this episode almost went unnoticed. No captions. Without recognition.
But he left an invaluable lesson:
👉 Dedication, ingenuity and human care can make up for the lack of resources.
Sometimes the answers are not in the most modern or in the most expensive,
but in the most elementary:
the observation, the gravity…
and the genuine desire to save lives.
In one of those institutions, with no access to advanced medical technology, caregivers resorted to a technique as simple as it is powerful: postural drainage.
They would place towels under patients’ chests or comfort them on inclined beds, allowing gravity to help drain pulmonary secretions and keep airways clear.
They had no antivirals.
They had no fans.
They didn’t have fancy teams.
All they had was towels, wit and constant surveillance.
And most amazing thing: it worked.
In that residence no life was lost, while in others, where this technique was not applied, the deaths were numerous.
Outside Vietnam, this episode almost went unnoticed. No captions. Without recognition.
But he left an invaluable lesson:
👉 Dedication, ingenuity and human care can make up for the lack of resources.
Sometimes the answers are not in the most modern or in the most expensive,
but in the most elementary:
the observation, the gravity…
and the genuine desire to save lives.
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