Ventilation with Covid19
There has been and still is a worldwide rush for ventilators for Covid19 patients. This site was one of the first in the world to draw attention to the fact that invasive ventilation (intubation) may be counterproductive in many cases and may cause additional harm to patients.
Invasive ventilation was originally recommended because low oxygen levels led to the false conclusion of acute respiratory (lung) failure, and there was a fear that with more gentle, non-invasive techniques the virus could spread through aerosols.
In the meantime, several leading pulmonologists and intensive care physicians from the US and Europe have spoken out against invasive ventilation and recommend more gentle methods or indeed oxygen therapy, as already successfully used by South Korea.
- Why Some Doctors Are Now Moving Away From Ventilator Treatments (TIME)
- Ventilators aren’t a panacea for a pandemic like coronavirus (Dr. Matt Strauss)
- With ventilators running out, doctors say the machines are overused for Covid-19
- Covid-19 Does Not Lead to a “Typical” Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ATSJ)
- Do COVID-19 Ventilator Protocols Need a Second Look? (Medscape)
- German: „Too often intubation and invasive ventilation is used“ (Dr. Thomas Voshaar)
- German: COVID-19: Ventilation – and then what? (DocCheck)
UPDATE:
Ventilation with Covid19
Other experts in Europe and the USA have expressed their opinion on the treatment of critical Covid19 patients and strongly advise against invasive ventilation (intubation). Covid19 patients do not suffer from acute respiratory failure (ARDS), but from oxygen deficiency, possibly caused by an oxygen diffusion problem triggered by the virus or the immune response to it.
- AP: Some doctors moving away from ventilators for virus patients
- Video: Covid-19: Critical Discussion of the Recommendation for Early Intubation
- Video: New York intensive care doctor on Covid19 as a possible diffusion hypoxemia
- Journal: COVID-19 pneumonia: different respiratory treatments for different phenotypes?
- (German) Die WELT: Sterberate bei Beatmungspatienten gibt Rätsel auf
Source: Swiss Propaganda Research Group