People around the world are separated from each other. All countries are stagnant. From the global economy to the household budget, the impact of the coronavirus epidemic is as devastating as it is widespread all over the globe. More and more patients are rushing for the treatment as COVID-19 infections already approach hundreds of thousands of people. Owing to the fact that the global healthcare amenities are facing the dearth of even the quintessential medical devices, such as ventilators; healthcare providers are now learning the crisis management tactics related to the difficulties faced by those critical patients who approach the hospital in case of lung failure owing to the corona virus infection. Simply put, the ventilator is responsible for the process of breathing in the body when the lungs fail to perform their operation due to any disease. This provides the patient time to fight and recover from the infection. There are many types of medical ventilation available serving different patient needs.
According to an analysis published in the Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in the US, doctors can reduce the mortality rate of machine-equipped patients by more than 50% by using fewer ventilators for Covid-19 patients. The authors are of the view that healthcare providers need a new user guide about when to use ventilators for COVID-19 patients. This is a message consistent with the new treatment guidelines published by the National Institutes of Health, in an attempt to deal with the scarcity of ventilators and further curb their unnecessary use. As the epidemic was overflowed into hospitals with diseases that was never been seen before by the doctors, the healthcare workers had to immediately follow the treatment protocols. Starting from the April month of 2020, a few doctors have been reportedly saying that some hospitals are too fast to put COVID-19 patients into mechanical ventilators. In fact, older patients may have suffered more damage than they were especially helped with, and are little concerned about less invasive breathing support, including simple oxygen.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) as stated in April 2020, about 80% of the patients suffering from COVID-19, recover without the aid of hospital treatment. Though one in every six persons becomes seriously ill. In this severe case, the virus causes damage to the lungs, which leads to a decrease in the level of oxygen in the body and difficulty breathing. To resolve this issue, a respirator is used so as to push the air with elevated oxygen levels into the lungs. The ventilator comprises a humidifier that simply adds moisture and heat to the air supply in order to cope with the patient’s body temperature. Medication is provided so as to relax the respiratory muscles. This results to aid in fully controlling the patient’s breathing by the machine. Now, when the above (WHO quoted) fact says that there are just 20% of corona infected patients, (that too at the critical stage where their lungs fail to supply the oxygen to their body) what has suddenly created the turmoil for the medical industry in the form of ventilator shortage definitely needs a right redressal. And thus, the new guidelines by the National Institutes of Health in the month of April 2020 is expected to provide some relief to the healthcare seekers.
