There’s at least 51 COVID-19 patients on ventilators at metro hospitals, a Nebraska Medicine doctor said once that happens, it’s a bridge leading to nowhere. “It’s not a quick in and out. So that’s what I think a lot of people don’t realize,” said Dr. Brian Boer, chief of critical care. Once a ventilator is rolled out, the amount of care instantly doubles. “There’s so much happening with their level of illness that you’re constantly tweaking sedation, pain, medications, ventilator pressures, you know, following up on labs, and things are just changing so much in real time,” Dr. Boer said. On average, these patients spend three weeks on the ventilator in the ICU as the machine uses invasive measures to get them through an acute illness like COVID-19. Dr. Boer said placing someone on a ventilator is the last resort to help their lungs. “It actually damages them even more in many ways because of the amount of pressure and things we have to do to drive air into the lungs unnaturally,” Dr. Boer said. There is a large chance the ventilators don’t work. “That bridge to recovery becomes a bridge to nowhere,” Dr. Boer said. Taking you off the machine, letting you breathe on your own at that point, Dr. Boer said all they can offer is a natural death. “Your chance of mortality is somewhere between 40 and 45%,” Dr. Boer said. Those who are able to make it off the ventilator can develop other respiratory issues and take months to recover. “Coming out the tail end of that people are profoundly debilitated need to go into, like rehab facilities,” Dr. Boer said. It’s not just the pressure placed on your lungs, but on the stretched-thin medical staff to provide quality care. “Everybody seeing more than they should do, and doing more than they should do,” Dr. Boer said. He said as more people are hospitalized for COVID-19, their hours grow and the number of shifts they work increases. “Everyone’s just like, that’s just what we do. We have no choice,” Dr. Boer said. Dr. Boer said he thinks the next eight weeks are going to be tough as non-COVID-19 illnesses begin to emerge with colder weather and increase hospital capacity. Watch the video above for the full story.
There’s at least 51 COVID-19 patients on ventilators at metro hospitals, a Nebraska Medicine doctor said once that happens, it’s a bridge leading to nowhere.
“It’s not a quick in and out. So that’s what I think a lot of people don’t realize,” said Dr. Brian Boer, chief of critical care.
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Once a ventilator is rolled out, the amount of care instantly doubles.
“There’s so much happening with their level of illness that you’re constantly tweaking sedation, pain, medications, ventilator pressures, you know, following up on labs, and things are just changing so much in real time,” Dr. Boer said.
On average, these patients spend three weeks on the ventilator in the ICU as the machine uses invasive measures to get them through an acute illness like COVID-19.
Dr. Boer said placing someone on a ventilator is the last resort to help their lungs.
“It actually damages them even more in many ways because of the amount of pressure and things we have to do to drive air into the lungs unnaturally,” Dr. Boer said.
There is a large chance the ventilators don’t work.
“That bridge to recovery becomes a bridge to nowhere,” Dr. Boer said.
Taking you off the machine, letting you breathe on your own at that point, Dr. Boer said all they can offer is a natural death.
“Your chance of mortality is somewhere between 40 and 45%,” Dr. Boer said.
Those who are able to make it off the ventilator can develop other respiratory issues and take months to recover.
“Coming out the tail end of that people are profoundly debilitated need to go into, like rehab facilities,” Dr. Boer said.
It’s not just the pressure placed on your lungs, but on the stretched-thin medical staff to provide quality care.
“Everybody seeing more than they should do, and doing more than they should do,” Dr. Boer said.
He said as more people are hospitalized for COVID-19, their hours grow and the number of shifts they work increases.
“Everyone’s just like, that’s just what we do. We have no choice,” Dr. Boer said.
Dr. Boer said he thinks the next eight weeks are going to be tough as non-COVID-19 illnesses begin to emerge with colder weather and increase hospital capacity.
Watch the video above for the full story.
