5 Ventilator Myths. Life with a Vent

I have been using a ventilator for almost five years of my life. I could never have imagined having a machine push air in and out of my lungs would create any misconceptions, but it does. People make assumptions and have erroneous beliefs about what it means to use a ventilator to breathe. Join me this week as I discuss five common ventilator myths. #LifewithaVent #VentilatorMyths
1.Ventilators are big, bulky machines
When people talk about ventilators, the image which usually comes to mind is a big, bulky contraption with long tubes coming out from it. The machine requires a respiratory therapist to frequently adjust the settings to achieve the optimal respiratory support for the patient. While this may be true for some ventilators, the majority of ventilators are compact machines which can fit on a bedside table.
Ventilators are highly sophisticated and can automatically adjust to a patient’s breathing needs. The ventilator may need to be altered from time to time as the patient’s breathing needs change, but for the most part, the ventilator is able to self adjust and maintain adequate respiratory support without the need for constant modification.
2. Ventilators are only used at hospitals
While it is true ventilators are frequently used at hospitals, the majority of ventilators in the United States are prescribed for home use. There are approximately 62,000 ventilators at hospitals around the country. It is estimated that around 6 million people in the United States use a ventilator at home.
3. A ventilator breathes for a person
When people think about someone using a ventilator, they believe a person on ventilator has lost the ability to breathe on his own. The person has a tube in his throat called a tracheostomy tube which is connected to a ventialtor. In a minority of cases this is true. A person may have a spinal cord injury or severe disease in which the person is no longer able to breathe independently. However, for the vast majority of ventilator users, the patient uses a face mask connected to a ventilator and retains the ability to breathe. In these patients, a ventilator is needed to support the person’s breathing. In short, a ventilator is simply a machine which helps a person breathe. The ventilator can assist the person with breathing or it can provide full respiratory support.
For me, I still have the ability to breathe on my own. I can breathe for a short time without my ventilator, but soon my respiratory muscles fatigue. When this happens, I am no longer able to sustain my breathing needs. My body is not able to get rid of carbon dioxide. At this point, I have to connect to my ventilator. If I do not use my ventilator, my carbon dioxide levels will increase to dangerous levels and will kill me.
4. Only someone very sick uses a ventilator
Many people erroneously believe a person has to be extremely sick before he/she is placed on a ventilator. While it is true some people are very sick and a ventilator is used when a person can no longer breathe adequately to sustain his life, most of the ventilator users in the United States are not sick.The majority of ventilator users in the United States use a ventilator called CPAP which stands for continuous positive airway pressure. It is primarily used for a medical condition called obstructive sleep apnea. When these people sleep, their airways becomes obstructed. They need to use a CPAP machine which forces high pressure air into their lungs while they slumber. Most people with sleep apnea lead relatively normal lives. It is hard to identify CPAP users since the machines are often only used during the night.
Additionally, ventilators are used when a person receives general anesthesia for a procedure. When the person is given general anesthesia, a breathing tube is placed down his throat and a ventilator is connected to keep the person breathing. After surgery, the ventilator is turned off and the breathing tube is removed. Most people who use a ventilator during surgery often never realize they were placed on a ventilator.
5. Using a ventilator means you are going to die soon
If there is one myth I hope to dispel in this video it is the common belief that a person who uses a ventilator is going to die soon. This is absolutely false. A ventilator is simply a medical device which helps a person breathe. If a person is extremely sick or has a complicated medical condition, a ventilator allows a person to continue to live. Without using a ventilator the person would die. Ventilators give people the chance to live.
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