Kathmandu. When someone tells us such news, ‘So-and-so has been put on ventilator’, our hearts get cold. “Do you have to put him on the ventilator?” we ask ourselves to convince ourselves.
What exactly is a ventilator? In which case the patient is put on ventilator? Will the patient on ventilator return to normal? Such curiosity keeps us restless.Senior thoracic specialist of the University Teaching Hospital, Dr. Dr. Niraj Bomb says.
A ventilator is a machine for artificial respiration. It is also called a mechanical ventilator because it operates mechanically,” he says. In this way, the work of a health system is done by a machine.
The job of the lungs is to take in oxygen and expel carbon dioxide. But if the airways become narrowed and pneumonia occurs, the person faints, food gets stuck in the airway, paralysis occurs or heart attack and breathing is not done properly, Dr. Bam says.
There are different modes of ventilators – Involuntary/Control Ventilation (AC), Pressure Support Ventilation (PSV) and Synchronized Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation (SIMV). Which artificially moves the lungs and delivers the required amount of oxygen to the body. The carbon dioxide in the body is expelled.
What happens after being put on a ventilator?
If there is an infection in the lungs or asthma, the lungs are not able to function properly. At this time, the patient is put on a ventilator and artificially breathed. Gradually, the lung infection is controlled and various respiratory problems get better. After the lungs get rest for some time, it gradually does its work and the support of the ventilator is gradually reduced and stopped. He says that the bomb will be removed from the ventilator when the lungs start working on their own.
It is not possible to say exactly how many days he will be kept on the ventilator. Until the lungs can do their job properly, they should be kept on the ventilator,” he says. “If there is an infection in the lungs, if the patient is kept on the ventilator, the lungs will get rest while the ventilator is working.”
After treating the problem in the lungs and the lungs start to function properly, the support of the ventilator is reduced and removed.
How long to return to normal?
A young person who has been in an accident and is in an unconscious state will quickly return to normal when placed on a ventilator. But the body of elderly people with respiratory diseases who have been kept on oxygen for a long time at home has become weak.
Such people may have to be kept on a ventilator for a long time. In some cases, infection can even lead to death.
Problems seen in ventilator-adjusted patients
Dr. who may develop problems later in patients who are on ventilators. Bam says. It depends on the reason why the patient went to the ventilator. If the patient is on the ventilator due to chronic diseases like asthma and heart disease, the problem may appear again,” he says. “A young man has been put on the ventilator due to an accident. If all his organs function properly after treatment, he should not go on the ventilator again.”
The problem can be determined by looking at the structure of the body and the nature of the disease. Some patients who were treated with ventilators during the corona virus had problems later, while others did not. Bam says.
“In 10 to 15 percent of patients, there is a possibility of ventilator-borne infection, especially pneumonia,” he says.
