Ventilator knowledge important during COVID-19

Ventilator use has been frequently and publicly discussed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, health-care providers express concern that Americans still lack a baseline understanding of what it means to go on and then come off a mechanical ventilator breathing machine.

This information is important to have when deciding what you would want should you become seriously ill with COVID-19 or another disease.

The time to obtain information and make decisions is when you are feeling well and not in the middle of a health crisis. Ask questions and talk to your doctor and others. The doctor who knows you best can help you make a decision about what to do.

So what is it that experts say we need to know?

First, patients with difficulty breathing have three treatment options to help them breathe with greater ease and less stress: being put on a ventilator (a mechanical breathing machine), using a BiPAP (a mask that pushes air into your lungs); and receiving comfort care (oxygen through a nose tube and medications).

Doctors look to the patient and the patient’s health-care representative to provide insight into the decision. This article will provide information about ventilator treatment.

A ventilator machine pushes air and oxygen into your lungs to help you breathe. The machine is connected to a tube that is inserted through your mouth or nose and down your trachea (windpipe). You will be unable to speak, eat or drink with this tube. You will be in ICU and may need medication to help you stay calm.

If the underlying condition does not improve quickly, you may need to have a tracheostomy (a hole in your neck) for the breathing tube, and a feeding tube inserted either through a vein, your nose, your mouth or a hole in your stomach. There are increased risks of infection, pneumonia, permanent damage to the lungs and air being forced into other parts of your body.

Many conditions, such as pneumonia, COPD, brain injuries and strokes indicate the short-term use of a ventilator for life support. The use of a ventilator is also common when someone is under anesthesia during general surgery. However, a ventilator may not work if your body is shutting down from long-lasting health problems, if you have an illness that can no longer be treated or if you are not able to stand the air pressure required to move oxygen in and out of your lungs.

If you think you want to try a ventilator, you need to figure out what you want to do if the device does not work. Talk to your doctor, family and health-care representative about what you would want them to do in such a circumstance.