It's very reassuring that the nation's 1st Ebola patient, Dr. Kent Brantly, walked into Emory's hospital.
The fact that he was ambulatory suggests several things that include:
- He is hemodynamically stable: Dr. Brantly's cardiovascular system is intact enough to allow him to support his own blood pressure and stand upright
- His respiratory system is intact: No requirement for mechanical ventilation is present
- He is able to follow commands: There doesn't appear to be any delerium
Important questions that remain to be answered include will include what role the convalescent serum he received has played in his recovery, how his immune system may differ from others, and what type of supportive care he received prior to therapy.
Also, though this may be the first Ebola patient in the US, it is important to remember that Ebola, the virus, is studied in several laboratories in this country--a point well made by Dr. Tara Smith in this blog post.