More than 40 percent of COVID-19 patients develop ARDS, according to a March 13 study from the Journal of the American Medical Association. Other serious respiratory ailments can also occur
As the transfer process is impaired and oxygen levels fall, ventilators keep patients breathing. While they don’t treat the disease, they do give patients time to fight it.
Bridge between life and death: Most COVID-19 patients on ventilators will not survive.
But coronavirus patients need more time – an average of 10 days, according to the University of Washington study. Other reports say one to two weeks is usual. A typical ICU patient averages 3-7 days, according to the National Centre for Biotechnology Information.
The devices are removed once patients can breathe on their own.
Ventilators range in size and can cost $25,000 to $50,000 or more. They are used in intensive care units.