Ventilators for COVID-19: How They Work and Their Availability
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Coronavirus infection can cause severe respiratory distress in COVID-19 patients. This complication makes it difficult for the patient to breathe and can be fatal if not treated immediately. In situations like this, medical personnel usually need to put on a ventilator to help COVID-19 patients breathe.
Unfortunately, the surge in the number of COVID-19 patients over the past month has caused the number of ventilators in Indonesia to become increasingly limited. It is feared that the number of existing tools is not comparable to the increase in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia from day to day.
The following is an overview of how ventilators work for COVID-19 patients and their availability in Indonesia.
How the ventilator works
Ventilators are generally needed when the patient’s lungs are no longer able to breathe the oxygen that the body needs. This tool only serves to help the patient breathe, but not to cure the illness.
First of all, the doctor prescribes drugs to sedate the patient and relax his breathing muscles. The doctor then inserts a tube into the patient’s respiratory tract. Meanwhile, the other end of the tube is connected to the ventilator machine.
The engine ventilator delivers oxygen-rich air through this tube. The amount and air pressure is regulated by a ventilator engine and monitored from the monitor. Before entering the body, air will pass through humidifier so that the temperature is in accordance with body temperature.
The use of a ventilator is useful so that the patient gets the oxygen he needs and removes carbon dioxide from his body. Ventilators help save energy, because one of the complications in COVID-19 patients is respiratory failure or exhaustion because the energy is depleted to breathe.
The patient’s body can now use the available energy to restore the function of the immune system. Thus, the patient’s body will be able to fight SARS-CoV-2 infection so that he will recover slowly.
The length of time on the ventilator depends on the condition of the body and the severity of the disease. New patients may stop using a ventilator when they are able to breathe normally. The doctor will monitor the patient’s breathing ability over time.
The use of ventilators for COVID-19 patients is also inseparable risk of side effects. However, ventilators still have an important role to play, especially for medical personnel who are dealing with critical COVID-19 patients.
The need for ventilators in Indonesia
As of March 2021, Indonesia only has 8,413 ventilators. All of them are spread across more than 2,000 hospitals in Indonesia with uneven coverage. In fact, the number of positive patients continues to soar and they come from various regions.
With current conditions, the number of cases in Indonesia is estimated to reach 54,278 cases by mid-May 2021. This prediction was conveyed by Irwandy, Chair of the Hospital Management Department, Faculty of Public Health, Hasanuddin University, based on the development of data and research results from several countries.
Of these, 32% (8,794) of patients hospitalized will require treatment in the ICU. Reflecting on cases in China and England, according to him, around 60% (5,171) of critical patients will need a ventilator.
In addition to the growing number of patients, patients on average need to stay for at least eight days in the ICU. This means that each ventilator will be used for one COVID-19 patient for a relatively long time.
If other medical equipment is not filled from now on, the referral hospital for COVID-19 will be overwhelmed by the booming number of patients. As a result, the death rate from COVID-19 will also increase.
Ventilator dispatch and own ventilator production plan
Seeing the increasing need, a number of agencies in Indonesia took steps to create their own ventilators. The Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), for example, is developing a ventilator portable which was produced since April.
The University of Indonesia is also developing a ventilator portable (easy to carry) named COVENT-20 is claimed to be more cost effective. Meanwhile, Gadjah Mada University has developed three types of ventilators called VOVENDEV.
The price of a ventilator on the market today is estimated at hundreds of millions. The team from the Sepuluh November Institute of Technology also addressed this problem by developing a ventilator, which is estimated to cost Rp. 20 million per unit.
No less than the three, the Bandung Institute of Technology has also developed a prototype of an emergency ventilator. The difference is, a ventilator called Vent-I is reserved for patients who can still breathe on their own.
Deliveries of the first two ventilators under the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) have also started since June 1. These ventilators were handed over to the Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) and sent to health facilities that were in desperate need.
A total of 33 ventilators will be distributed throughout Indonesia. The World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with Japan contributed to send 27 ventilators.
Meanwhile, the remaining six ventilators are the result of collaboration between UNDP and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). All ventilators will be delivered in the next four weeks.
Although it is still far from sufficient, this is a breath of fresh air for Indonesia in facing the COVID-19 pandemic.
As an individual, you can play an active role with apply physical distancing, make prevention efforts, and together make donations so that health workers get ventilators through this link.
Help doctors and other medical personnel get personal protective equipment (PPE) and ventilators to fight COVID-19 by donating here.
Hello Health Group does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.
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