UAB MEDICINE PULMONARY SERVICES FALL 2020
FEATURE STORIES
To read these and past stories online, please visit uabmedicine.org/referpulm.
NHRA MECHANIC WHO INSPIRED MANY DURING COVID-19 RECOVERY DISCHARGED
FROM UAB HOSPITAL
Ervin “Jock” Allen spent 32 days in UAB Hospital battling
COVID-19, including 24 days on a ventilator. Today, Allen is
breathing on his own.
The 28-year-old native of Jasper, Ala., is lead technician for
the National Hot Rod Association’s (NHRA) Birmingham-based
Steve Johnson Racing. He captured the spirits of many across
Alabama and beyond since he was admitted to UAB Hospital
– because of his own journey and that of his family. His mom,
Candace Allen, a health care worker, was admitted to the
hospital prior to her son after contracting COVID-19. She passed
away on May 18. Allen’s sister, brother, and fiancée also tested
positive but have since recovered.
“When I get home, I just want to get outside and feel some fresh
air,” he said. “It’s been a scary, happy, and sad experience all at
once. It’s a blessing that I get to walk out of here and start my
new journey.”
With Allen’s permission, Johnson has chronicled his teammate’s
journey on the Steve Johnson Racing Team Facebook page.
Allen has developed a legion of fans and supporters in the tens
of thousands who include people in the motorsports community
and beyond. The JockStrong.com webpage, complete with
#JockStrong-branded T-shirts and masks, was established to
help the family.
Allen spent a considerable portion of his time at UAB on the
Medical Intensive Care Unit (MICU). It is there where the sickest
COVID-19 patients are treated and where the majority of them
often are on ventilators. Some, like Allen, are ventilated for
longer than 21 days – a dangerous threshold for recovery.
After Allen was admitted to UAB, he had to be medically
paralyzed for several days, and he was proned frequently
by UAB’s nursing staff. Allen was also in shock early on in
his treatment. When he was finally able to come off of the
ventilator, he required a tracheostomy. Allen was weaned off
the ventilator in the Special Care Unit, where he spent 10 days
recovering and his tracheostomy was removed.
“He was in the ICU for about three weeks and very sick for a
couple of those weeks,” says Tracy Luckhardt, MD, medical
director of the Special Care Unit. “Once he finally turned the
corner and his lungs started healing from the coronavirus
infection, he’s done really well. He’s been getting very
aggressive physical therapy, and occupational therapy has
done an amazing job with him. He’s had a very remarkable
recovery.”
It is not lost on Allen that he is a 28-year-old who battled
for his life against a virus that he admits he initially thought
was dangerous only for older adults, particularly those with
comorbidities. He understands the mortality rates for older
adults are much higher than for young adults, but he hopes
the severity of the virus and its effects on him will make him an
influencer for younger adults to take it seriously. He says he will
encourage others to wear masks, practice social distancing,
and wash their hands frequently. For UAB staff in the MICU,
Special Care Unit, and other critical care areas, watching Allen
leave the hospital healthy and with a chance to resume his life
lifted their spirits, Dr. Luckhardt says.
“Our critical care staff, especially in the MICU, have been
working so hard for months,” Dr. Luckhardt says. “We’ve had
a lot of really sick patients — way more than we are used to
dealing with. These patients take a long time to get better.
There are a lot of setbacks. When we have a patient who gets
better and is able to leave the hospital, that’s a huge win for us.
It feels good for the team, and we really need to rally around
those wins because it’s been a long several months with some
really sick patients.”
“I don’t remember a lot of what happened while I was here, but
I do know the staff at UAB took really good care of me,” Allen
says. “I can remember being calmed down by a nurse when
I was scared in the ICU a couple of times. Then they told me
when I first got in that they were going to push me, so be ready.
And they did. They always came by and checked on me. They
were great.”
DR. BHATT EDITS NEW BOOK ON CARDIAC CONDITIONS AND LUNG DISEASE
UAB Medicine pulmonologist Surya Bhatt, MD, served as
editor for “Cardiac Considerations in Chronic Lung Disease”,
published in June 2020. The new book offers comprehensive
information on chronic lung disease and cardiovascular disease
and their influence on one another, including the epidemiology,
physiology, risk factors, pathophysiology, clinical features,
diagnostic issues, laboratory and imaging tests, and therapeutic
considerations. How the diseases specifically overlap is
explored in detail, covering presentation, symptoms, clinical
examination findings, diagnostic test results, and a number of
important medication interactions.
The cardiovascular considerations in this book include left
ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction, pulmonary
hypertension and right ventricular disease, and arrhythmia. The
book also addresses extra-cardiac cardiovascular comorbidities
such as cerebrovascular disease and peripheral arterial
disease. Each chapter includes detailed illustrations, as well as
useful pearls and best practices, making this an ideal reference
for pulmonologists, cardiologists, and residents caring for
patients with increased risk for these comorbidities.