We moved to weekly chats in the light of the COVID19 pandemic on 23rd March – and it feels that a lot has progressed since then.
Our chat on 23rd March had a focus on respiratory issues – but at that time there were only a handful of physiotherapists on the chat reporting they had seen patients with COVID19 and no-one really had followed patients through their journey. Thankfully the national reporting seems to show that the number of people in ICU with COVID19 is reducing, but there will still be a significant cohort of people who are needing respiratory input.
So, it seemed like an ideal time to revisit this topic in order to share the wider learning that has happened. In line with everything else during this time, the 6 weeks since the initial chat seems like a very long time ago with many changes within the health service during that time – but has there been developments and learning in how best to treat these patients?
Chat questions
- Have you treated people with COVID19 in a critical care setting?
- What is your experience of the type of ventilation support that they have needed?
- What about proning – was it effective?
- Any learning about weaning from ventilation support?
- What did you find was not effective with COVID19 patients?
- What was the most effective physiotherapy support?
- Will they need long term respiratory follow up?
Resources
Refer to the resources listed here
Proning the intensive care patient
A commentary on Prone Position Plexopathy during the COVID-19 pandemic
British Thoracic Society follow up document
Chat transcript
Missed the chat? Catch up with the transcript
Acronyms used:
PEEP – Positive end-expiratory pressure
HFNC – High flow nasal cannula
HFNO – High flow nasal oxygen
CPAP – Continuous positive airway pressure
SIMV – Synchronised intermittent mandatory ventilation
APRV – Airway pressure release ventilation
RR – Respiratory rate
ARDS – Acute respiratory distress syndrome
ICU – Intensive care unit
VQ – Ventilation / perfusion ratio
CPAx – Chelsea critical care physical assessment tool
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