Should you use oxygen concentrators to treat COVID-19?

Should you use oxygen concentrators to treat COVID-19?

Oxygen concentrators are medical devices required to be sold and used only with a prescription. You should not to use an oxygen concentrator at home unless it has been prescribed by a health care provider. Deciding to use an oxygen concentrator without a prescription can lead to serious health problems such as oxygen toxicity caused by receiving too much oxygen. It can also lead to a delay in receiving treatment for serious diseases like COVID-19.

What happens to the body during a COVID-19 critical infection?

During a severe or critical bout with COVID-19, the body has many reactions: Lung tissue swells with fluid, making lungs less elastic. The immune system goes into overdrive, sometimes at the expense of other organs. As your body fights one infection, it is more susceptible to additional infections.

How long is it safe to be on a ventilator?

In my practice, the average days of mechanical ventilation for an intubated patient is between 7 and 9 days(Report from the local audit). However, the report also revealed that the maximum days of ventilation(intubated patients) was 13 days. This means, it entirely depends on the patient`s condition and co-morbidity.

Can you die while on a ventilator?

A person on a ventilator may still die from heart failure or other organ failure. Ventilators are used in many cases. If you’ve ever had surgery that required general anesthesia, you’ve been on a ventilator while the surgery was taking place.

What are the adverse effects of mechanical ventilation?

Mechanical ventilation may increase the alveolar/capillary permeability by overdistension of the lungs (volutrauma), it can exacerbate lung damage due to the recruitment/derecruitment of collapsed alveoli (atelectrauma) and may cause subtle damages due to the activation of inflammatory processes (biotrauma).

Does a ventilator require intubation?

The need to be intubated and placed on a ventilator is common with general anesthesia, which means most surgeries will require this type of care. While it is scary to consider being on a ventilator, most surgery patients are breathing on their own within minutes of the end of surgery.