WATCH: Here’s how ventilators can save coronavirus patients

MANILA, Philippines – With much-needed test kits expected to arrive in the country this week, the next challenge the country’s health care system faces in its battle against the  coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is increasing its number of life-saving ventilators.

Mechanical ventilators, also known as breathing machines or respirators, are among the essential tools used by hospitals in countries like Singapore and Taiwan, which succeeded in minimizing the toll of COVID-19.

Tomas Pueyo, the author of the Medium article “Coronavirus: Why You Must Act Now,” noted the importance of these breathing machines during a  Rappler Talk Wednesday, March 18. 

Pueyo said data shows that success against this raging pandemic hinges on each nation’s capacity for intensive care and the number of ventilators it has available.

An article from the Ottawa Citizen said: “A ventilator is considered a form of life support since it artificially replaces normal lung function. With COVID-19 patients, it’s used until the individual’s lungs heal and can resume their role in regular breathing. Patients on a ventilator are not able to speak or eat, and have to be fed through a tube.”

“A ventilator helps a patient breathe by pushing oxygenated air into the lungs and forcing fluid out of their air sacs. The machines also remove carbon dioxide from a patient’s body,” the report said. – Rappler.com