What To Expect While on a Ventilator
Ventilators normally don't cause pain. The breathing
tube in your airway may cause some discomfort. It also affects your ability to
talk and eat. If your breathing tube is a trach tube, you may be able to talk.
(A trach tube is put directly into your windpipe through a hole in the front of
your neck.)
Instead of food, you may be given nutrients through
a vein in your body. If you're on a ventilator for a long time, you'll likely
get food through a feeding tube. The tube goes through your nose or mouth or
directly into your stomach or small intestine through a surgically made
hole.
A ventilator greatly restricts your activity and
also limits your movement. You may be able to sit up in bed or in a chair, but
you usually can't move around much. If you need to use a ventilator long term,
you may get a portable machine. This machine allows you to move around and even
go outside, although you need to bring your ventilator with you.
Sometimes the ventilator is set so that you can
trigger the machine to blow air into your lungs. But, if you fail to trigger it
within a certain amount of time, the machine automatically blows air to keep
you breathing.
Ongoing Care
While you’re on a ventilator, your health care
team will closely watch you. The team may include doctors, nurses, and
respiratory therapists. You may need periodic
chest
x rays and regular
blood
tests to check the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide (blood gases) in
your body.
These tests help your health care team find out how
well the ventilator is working for you. Based on the test results, they may
adjust the ventilator’s airflow and other settings as needed.
Also, a nurse or respiratory therapist will suction
your breathing tube from time to time. Suctioning removes mucus from your
lungs. It will cause you to cough. You also may feel short of breath for
several seconds. You may get extra oxygen during suctioning to relieve this
symptom. |