In the worst-case scenario Colorado could be short as many 10,000 ventilators for coronavirus patients, but hospitals and government agencies are trying to avert a situation in which doctors have to make life-or-death decisions about who gets desperately needed care. When a person has a severe case of COVID-19, the cells that line the lungs’ air sacs start to die, and the lungs begin to fill with fluid, said Dr. Mike Mohning, a pulmonary critical care doctor at National Jewish Health in Denver. Some people can get enough oxygen through a mask or nasal tube, but if that falls short, a ventilator is the best way to keep patients alive long enough for their lungs to heal, he said. Ventilators not only provide high concentrations of oxygen, but can apply pressure to keep the lungs’ air sacs from collapsing — though the pressure can also damage the lungs, and not all coronavirus patients recover the ability to breathe unassisted. In harder-hit areas like Italy and New … [Read more...] about Short on ventilators, Colorado hospitals prepare for a “worst-case scenario” for coronavirus patients
