Being intubated can last long after the breathing emergency

Intubation is the term used by frontline health workers as well as experts to describe the additional breathing support that some patients require in an emergency.

Many people are unaware of the dangers and trauma that this procedure can cause.

In order to provide additional breathing support for COVID-19 patients who deteriorate, they need intubating. This means that a tube will be inserted, and the ventilation machine will deliver oxygen directly to the lungs.

Inserting the tube

Intubating is a highly-skilled procedure that involves inserting a tube into the patient’s airway through their mouth:

Patients are sedated to allow their airways and mouth to relax. Patients are often lying on their backs, with the health care professional standing near the top edge of the bed facing the feet.

The patient’s mouth will be gently opened. A laryngoscope instrument is used to illuminate the throat and flatten the patient’s tongue. The tube is guided into the throat and then advanced into the airway to push apart the vocal cords.

A small balloon is inflated around the tube to prevent the air from escaping. After the balloon has been raised, tape or tie the line in place at its mouth.

A chest x-ray is used to confirm the placement.

The laryngoscope guides a tube through the airway. 

Can breathe, can’t speak, or swallow.

Intubated patients cannot talk, eat, drink, or even swallow saliva. They are connected to a ventilator, which supports their breathing.

They are often sedated so that they can tolerate the tube. The tube is a life-saving device for these patients who are unable to care for themselves.

In order to ensure that patients who are intubated or ventilated receive the best possible care, they will be placed in an intensive-care unit. A registered nurse is always present at their bedside.

David Latt, an American lawyer and editor, recalled his experience after being diagnosed with COVID-19 and having been intubated and re-ventilated.

The table […] was a place where I thought I didn’t want to go.

Latt was afraid he’d never see his son of two years or his partner ever again.

Take the tube out.

Intubation and ventilatory support for COVID-19 patients can last a long time, depending on their condition and response to treatment. There are reports that patients were intubated for more than 100 days.

Extubation is the procedure used to remove the tube once a patient no longer requires breathing support. Extubation is also a process that requires highly skilled healthcare workers. It requires