COVID-19: Study suggests short-term ventilator sharing could be safe for patients

A recent study conducted by Columbia University of Medical Centre in Manhattan, US, reportedly found that ventilators could be safely shared by two COVID-19 patients for up to two days. Amid the peak of the virus outbreak, the healthcare workers validated the experimental method, which is followed by hospitals struggling to handle the onslaught of lung failure cases with limited equipment. 

While some health experts reportedly criticised the method, the researchers at the medical centre began having selected pairs of surgery patients with healthy lungs share a ventilator. The experimental method helped hospitals free up as many machines as possible for COVID-19 patients. Meanwhile, other experts said that sharing the equipment could worsen outcomes. 

According to an international media report, several existing studies of ventilator-splitting suggest against it as it did not test it in patients with the type of lung injuries seen with COVID-19. However, as per the new research involving six critically ill coronavirus patients at the Manhattan hospital found that ventilator sharing was a viable option for p to two days. The researchers reportedly paired up patients based on similarities in breathing needs and said that the ventilator-splitting is a reasonable stopgap to support patients for short periods in centres with appropriate expertise. 

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Method recommended to be restricted to expert centres 

Dr Jeremy Beitler of the hospital wrote in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine that the ventilator sharing does not obviate the need for more ventilators. Beitler said the method could but sometimes while relocating ventilator to hospitals or transferring patients to the hospital with the life-saving machines. 

Furthermore, the healthcare workers said that the safety and utility of prolonged ventilator sharing, when ventilators or patients cannot be relocated, is still unknown. They also recommend that the method, for now, should only be restricted to expert centres that could properly identify suitable patients and manage their care. 

(Image: AP)

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