If you have read the news at all lately, you know that ventilators are a sought-after piece of medical equipment. With hospitals looking to treat mass amounts of patients with COVID-19, ventilators are in high demand. But what patients are they used for, how effective are they, and most of all – how do ventilators work? Take a look at this short video from StatNews to see.
Ventilators & Their Usage
A ventilator is a machine that assists with breathing. There are two main types of ventilators: non-invasive and mechanical. In non-invasive ventilation, the ventilator may consist of a fitted mask over the face and nose that delivers fresh oxygen to the patient.
However, many patients requiring ventilation often have more severe respiratory symptoms. According to Alex Hogan, the video creator, patients experiencing severe respiratory distress may require intubation. When patients experience lung damage or failure, ventilators pump oxygen in and out of their lungs using a tube. A tube also removes carbon dioxide from the lungs.
Ventilators vs. Respirators
While you may hear people use ventilators and respirators interchangeably, the terms are actually slightly different. A ventilator supplies oxygen to the lungs and helps patients breathe.
A respirator, on the other hand, is a type of protective equipment used by medical practitioners.
It fits tightly around either the nose and mouth or just the mouth. Respirators can prevent wearers from inhaling toxic substances, bacteria, or viruses. In the case of COVID-19, respirators are increasingly important to medical staff to ensure that they don’t inhale the infectious virus. For COVID-19, N95 respirators are recommended.
Rare Diseases and COVID-19
Ventilation for COVID-19
Currently, COVID-19 dominates the media – and for good reason. There have been over 1 million diagnosed cases worldwide, with around 57,000 deaths attributed to the viral pandemic. About 465,000 of those cases are in the United States, with just over 16,000 deaths as of this writing. Of the American cases, approximately 31% of patients with COVID-19 have been hospitalized, with up to 11% being placed in intensive care. While there is little information on how many required ventilation, a comparable patient group in China showed 12% needed ventilation.
In Hogan’s video, he notes that ventilators are crucial tools to combat COVID-19 because of the virus’ respiratory impact. Some patients may experience a dry cough, fever, and tightness of the chest. But the CDC explains that advanced cases of COVID-19 can lead to pneumonia and respiratory failure. When fluid fills the lungs, there is not enough room for oxygen. Ventilators are used to help treat patients and give them more oxygen.
In a NY Post article on the importance of ventilators, Dr. Daniel Griffin shared that lung inflammation causes patients to breathe more rapidly than normal. If patients are struggling to get oxygen, they try to breathe about twice as fast. Griffin equates ventilators to rescue equipment during a race:
“It’s basically like running a marathon and you just don’t get a chance to stop and there’s a part where you can’t keep going. The ventilator is…getting to jump in the car and letting someone else drive.”
Read the full article from the NY Post here.
Ventilation for Rare Diseases
Many patients with COVID-19 require ventilators, but this begs a question: what about patients with rare diseases? Will a shortage in ventilators also affect this community?
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer yet. However, there are many people within the rare disease community who do depend on ventilation as their condition progresses.
For example, patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may require ventilation support. ALS is a neurodegenerative disease that causes muscle weakness. As the disease progresses, patients with ALS may experience trouble speaking or swallowing, muscle failure, or respiratory distress. Learn more about ALS here.
Patients with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CCHS), a disorder affecting the nervous system, also rely on ventilators. CCHS causes an inability to control breathing. Patients with CCHS also cannot sense their oxygen or carbon dioxide levels. To reduce complications stemming from this disorder, ventilation is necessary. Click here to learn more about CCHS.
The Importance of Ventilators
Ultimately, ventilators are key tools in assisting patients who are experiencing respiratory distress, whether from COVID-19 or another condition. Ventilators pump oxygen into the lungs, allowing patients to recover while still receiving enough oxygen.
It is estimated that the U.S. will require 55,000 ventilators for patients with COVID-19 in April alone, with states like New Jersey and New York already poised to run out shortly. But the country also needs to take into account other patients who also need treatment. Hopefully, with contributors like Virgin Orbit, Dyson, Ford, and General Electric switching gears to start manufacturing ventilators, all patient needs can soon be met.
