Coronavirus: Role of Ventilator in COVID-19 disease

The coronavirus out break came to light on the December 2019, when in china a cluster of cases of pneumonia of an unknown cause in Wuhan city. The disease spread to more provinces in china, and to rest of world. The WHO (World Health Organization) has now declared it a pandemic. The virus has been named SARS-COV-2 and the disease is called COVID-19 

We know that a majority nearly 80% of COVID-19 infections are asymptomatic or mild and may not require hospitalisation. But in all most five percent of all patients, the disease can turn critical. 

In these severe cases, the virus causes damage to lungs, causing the body's oxygen levels to drop and making it harder to breathe.

Now when some critically ill patients suffer extreme lung damage and struggle to breathe, they need to be admitted in an intensive care unit (ICU) and a subset of them need to be put in ventilator.

Here is what we need to know about ventilators and why they are needed during COVID-19


What is ventilator and what does it do?

A ventilator is define as a machine which delivers air and oxygen into lungs of patients.

But the delivery of breath into a patient's lung is a complex process. It needs to take into consideration not just the volume of gas or air which has to go into the lungs. But with what pressure it goes in and which patterns or flow it follows. 

The ventilator also has a humidifier, which adds heat and moisture to the air supply so it matches the patient's body temperature

Patients are given medication to relax the respiratory muscles so their breathing can be fully regulated by the machine.

That is why we need technologically advanced ventilator which help us to control these parameters very tightly and significantly. This takes years of training and learning to be able to use a ventilator properly in the right context in a particular patient in a particular condition.

How does a ventilator work?

A ventilator uses pressure to blow air into the lungs. The pressure is known as postive pressure. A patient usually exhales the air on their own, but sometimes the ventilator does it them too is called negative pressure. 
The amount of oxygen the patient receive can be controlled through a monitor connect to ventilator. If the patient's condition is particularly fragile. The monitor will be set up to send an alarm to caregiver, indicating an increase in air pressure.

The machine work by bringing oxygen to the lungs and taking carbon dioxide out of the lungs. This allows a patient who has trouble breathing to receive the proper amount of oxygen. It also helps the patient's body to heal, since it eliminates the extra energy of labored breathing. 

A ventilator blows air into the airway through a breathing tube. One end of the tube is inserted into patient's windpipe and other end is attached to ventilator. The breathing tube serves as an airway by letting air and oxygen from the ventilator flows into lungs. Depending on the patient medical condition, they may be able to use a respiratory mask instead of breathing tubes. 

Role of Ventilator in COVID-19 Coronavirus

Mechanical ventilation is part of arsenal of supportive care clinicians use for COVID-19 Coronavirus disease patients with most severe lung symptoms

A COVID-19 infection can cause fluid and mucus in the lungs that block oxygenation of lung tissue. Ventilator can help support COVID-19 patients breathing until their immune system and treatment can clear the infection and proper lung function is restored.  

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