Ventilator at home is the best option in cases where the condition of patient is stable but he needs to stay on ventilation for longer time. The ventilator facility at home guarantees fast recovery as patient can enjoy family life as well. Also, longer stay in hospitals can bring other serious complications. It is, though, a good decision but still it needs to follow some special guidelines to avoid health threats to the patient.
Equipment to Use Ventilator at Home
A number of ventilators are available in market with different construction and features. The decision of which one is to choose depends upon the condition of the patient. Generally, ventilators come with following add-ons:
- Backup ventilator with additional oxygen tank
- Batteries in order to backup power supply or to use ventilator outdoor
- Suction machine for clearing the airways
- Humidifier to moist air for better breathing
- Oximeter to keep an eye on blood oxygen level
- Nebulizer to provide patient with medicines needed for breathing treatment
Preparing for Home Ventilation
Ventilator can be lifesaving only when used properly. This is the reason; healthcare team will teach the family members of the patient how to:
- Use this machine
- Change trach tube in case patient is using endotracheal tube
- Keep airways mucus free
- Regulate equipment used to manage airways
- Identify any serious problems and when it is time to call an emergency
Hospital staff will likely to train the caretakers properly before patient is discharged. They can ask for night stays at hospital and regulate ventilated patient overnight. This measure can be adopted for many days until doctors find the person fit to manage patient at home.
Families can also, if affordable, hire some trained professionals to take care of the ventilated patient at home.
Using Ventilator Facility at Home
The caregiver of the ventilated patient needs to check equipment regularly to ensure smooth working of the machine. In case any problem is diagnosed or condition of patient become critical, it’s better to call professionals to fix it without losing time. It must be noted that managing ventilator in the absence of healthcare professional can be hard. It is a must to follow doctor’s suggestions while handling ventilated patient at home.
Caretaker of ventilated patient needs to adopt following measures to get best results from ventilation facility:
- Always use equipment with clean hands
- Keep an eye on ventilator and respond timely to the alarms
- Take care of the hygiene of the patient to avoid infections
- Do not change settings of the ventilators unless suggested by the doctor
- Regularly update doctors with the condition of the patient or changes if noted
- Make sure to always have an extra supply of ventilating machine, oxygen tank and power
- It’s best option to hire for any professional for night
- Keep your phone charge to ask for help in case of emergency
Healthcare staff remains in touch with the family of the patient to make sure if the treatment is going well. Specialized nurses and respiratory therapists keep on visiting the patient regularly to guarantee proper use of ventilating machine at home.
BetterOptions Provide Homelike Settings For Your Ventilator Dependent Patients
If you are looking for a homelike environment and setting for your ventilator dependent patient, then BetterOptions is the best facility located in 15214 NE 25th Circle Vancouver WA 98684, United States. Call Us Now (+01) (360) 607-8028) OR Send An Email for further details.
