Who Needs a Ventilator?
Ventilators most often are used:
- During surgery if you're under anesthesia (that
is, if you're given medicines that temporarily put you to sleep and/or cause a
loss of feeling)
- If a disease or condition impairs your lung
function
During Surgery
If you have general anesthesia during surgery,
you'll likely be connected to a ventilator. The medicines used to induce
anesthesia can disrupt normal breathing. A ventilator helps make sure that you
continue breathing during surgery.
After surgery, you may not even know you were
connected to a ventilator. The only sign may be a slight sore throat for a
short time. The sore throat is caused by the tube that connected the ventilator
to your airway.
Once the anesthesia wears off and you begin
breathing on your own, the ventilator will be disconnected. The tube in your
throat also will be taken out. This usually happens before you completely wake
up from surgery.
However, depending on the type of surgery you have,
you could stay on a ventilator for a few hours to several days after your
surgery. Most people who have anesthesia during surgery only need a ventilator
for a short time, though.
For Impaired Lung Function
You may need a ventilator if a disease, condition,
or other factor has impaired your breathing. Although you may be able to
breathe on your own, it’s very hard work. You may feel short of breath
and uncomfortable. A ventilator can help ease the work of breathing. People who
can’t breathe on their own also use ventilators.
Many diseases, conditions, and factors can affect
lung function. Examples include:
- Pneumonia
(nu-MO-ne-ah) and other infections
- COPD
(chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or other lung diseases
- Upper spinal cord injuries, polio,
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), myasthenia gravis, and
other diseases or factors that affect the nerves and muscles involved in
breathing
- Brain injury or stroke
- Drug overdose
A ventilator helps you breathe until you recover. If
you can’t recover enough to breathe on your own, you may need a
ventilator for the rest of your life.
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