In the video “Ventilator Use for COVID-19 Patients,” Dr. Richardson explains why some patients who have low blood oxygen levels do NOT need to be put on a ventilator. Doctors who were treating these patients noticed that there were certain people who, even though they had a low blood oxygen level, they were able to continue to have normal brain function, were alert, were able to talk, and they were not having difficulty breathing.
This group patients who had low blood oxygen levels did not need a ventilator to help them to breathe. They only needed to breathe in extra oxygen to help to improve their blood oxygen level. These patients breathed this extra oxygen through a special mask or from a nasal canula.
The use of a ventilator is a serious decision and doctors will consider the risks and the benefits before putting a patient on a ventilator. As long as a patients are not showing signs that the low oxygen level is putting their life in danger, those patients will not need to be put on a ventilator.
The COVID-19 virus causes severe inflammation in the lung airways and that inflammation causes the airways to produce mucus to protect the cells that line the airways. Phlegm and mucus may not always be a problem but when there is too much mucus and inflammation, the lungs may not be able to deliver enough oxygen to the bloodstream.
When a sufficient amount of oxygen is not delivered to the bloodstream, the blood oxygen level will be low. A low blood oxygen level can be dangerous because to function properly – the cells, the brain, and the body’s organs need the right amount of oxygen. If a patient who has a low blood oxygen level begins to have difficulty breathing, is getting tired because of the breathing difficulty, or begins to lose consciousness – that patient may need to be put on a ventilator. The ventilator will take over the function of breathing for the patient until the patient is able to resume breathing normally and maintain a normal blood oxygen level.
It is important to have the best lung health possible so that your body can receive the proper amount of oxygen and will be able to withstand a respiratory infection like COVID-19. Optimal lung health can be maintained by (1) regularly practicing deep-breathing exercises (2) avoiding respiratory irritants like smoking, air pollution, or vaping and (3) having sufficient blood levels of vitamin D.
Read this week’s blog, “Vitamin D Can Save Your Life” to learn the critical role that vitamin D plays to promote optimal human immune system function and to protect lung tissue from acute respiratory infections that are caused by viruses and bacteria.
LINK for BLOG:
Follow this link to read about the function of phlegm and mucus:
To strengthen your lungs, make sure that you are practicing deep-breathing several times a day. (See 10 breathing techniques:
Watch this video to understand why it is better to breathe through your nose rather than to breathe through your mouth.
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