Medical ventilators have been around for a while, in fact since the 1930’s when ‘iron lungs’ assisted polio victims. However until the Covid-19 pandemic, ventilation was something that happened beyond intensive care doors. The current situation has brought the equipment into sharp relief. We explore the types of ventilators saving lives of Covid patents in this short post.
The Two Main Types of Ventilators Saving Lives
There are two kinds of medical ventilation available. In the first instance, non-invasive ventilation applies oxygen under gentle pressure through a face mask, nasal mask, or helmet. This pressure backs off temporarily when the device senses the patient breathing out.
Alternatively, advanced mechanical ventilation breathes for the patient when they are unable to take in sufficient air themselves. Doctors call these devices ventilators, respirators, or breathing machines but they boil down to the same thing. They are invasive because there is a tube in the patient’s airway. All types of ventilators saving lives in intensive care apply one of these two principles.
How and Why Some Covid Patients Require Breathing Assistance
A large majority of us have healthy immune systems and recover without hospitalization. However, in severe cases the virus damages a patient’s lungs. Their immune system responds to this by dilating the blood vessels there. This allows more fluid to enter making breathing more difficult. Both types of ventilators saving lives of Covid patents compensate by pushing more air into their lungs.
This elevates their body’s oxygen level to near-normal levels. Ventilators of all kinds add warmth and moisture to the medical air to match the patient’s internal environment. In the case of ‘forced’ advanced mechanical ventilation they also receive medication that relaxes their respiratory muscles so the device can take over, and breathe for them.
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Preview Image: Non-Invasive Ventilation
