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CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — The University of Chicago Medical Center says it’s had good success with an alternative to ventilators for patients who have coronavirus.
There may be a problem with ventilators and coronavirus. Doctors say that in many cases, there’s a high mortality rate attached to a COVID-19 patient being put on ventilators. One reason is they can further injure the lungs.
Doctors at the University of Chicago, like Dr. Thomas Spiegel, director of the emergency department, have been using high-flow nasal cannulas — those nasal prongs that blow humidified oxygen into the nose and lungs.
Dr. Spiegel says the cannulas most people are familiar with only get about 40 percent oxygen into the lungs.
“With high-flow, we’re able to get a far higher percentage of oxygen into the lungs without stretching the lung tissue so as to prevent re-injuring that injured area,” he explains.
Dr. Spiegel says U of C has had early success with the high-flow cannulas, and he says they’re trying to get the word out to other hospitals.
The downside: HFNCs convert the virus into a fine mist, so extra precautions must be taken for staff.