A single word answer for this question is ‘NO’.
Ventilator is proved to be the most reliable equipment for the survival of critically ill patients. Mechanical ventilators assist patients in breathing in case they are suffering from any disease causing difficulty in breathing. However, in situations like COVID-19 where every patient is too critical to put on ventilator it is not easy to fulfill ventilation demand of every patient. The recent pandemic, as per an estimate, affected two-third of the total world’s population and still it is on its way to havoc. The concept of shared ventilation strengthened during this crisis as it was not easy for any country to provide a single ventilator to every patient. But still physicians and specialists have solid arguments against this shared ventilation.
Why We Should Not Put Multiple Patients On One Ventilator
There are number of concerns that are important to consider while putting multiple patients on a single ventilator.
1- Construction of the Equipment
Shared ventilation though is an ideal solution in case of pandemic but generally it is not recommended by the specialists and medical institutes. Basic reason behind this disagreement is the construction of the ventilator. The specialists argue that a single equipment must be used for one patient on the facts that it is constructed to fulfill the demands of a single patient. Ventilators not only guarantee flow of oxygen in body but also regulate its level as per condition of the patient. Ventilator after sensing any change in breathing pattern of a single patient will change the respiratory frequency for others as well. This way lives of other patients could be compromised.
2- Arrangement of the Equipment
A number of cords and an oxygen pipe is attached to the ventilator to keep it running and support breathing. In order to put multiple patients on a single equipment it would require to arrange patients in spoke like pattern around the ventilator. This arrangement will move the patients far from the equipment causing a decreased amount of oxygen and air while increased amount of carbon dioxide in bloodstream. Furthermore, there is a chance of catching germs from one another if patients are close enough.
3- Pendelluft Phenomenon
A single ventilator is designed to support single oxygen supply. Thus, it supports single pipe that passes air inside the body of the patient. In case ventilator is to be shared between multiple patients, an extended circuit is attached to the ventilator. Patients are likely to share gas traveling between circuits if one-way valve is absent. In such cases there is a chance of pendelluft phenomenon, pendular gas movement between different regions of lungs. Patients are at a risk of cross infection and lungs swelling if ventilation results in pendelluft.
4- Different Needs of Every Ventilated Patient
Multiple patients put on a single ventilator may have different level of complexity. The ventilation needs of a patient suffering from lungs failure are totally different from patient having breathing issue due to cardiac arrest. Similarly, the recovery time of different patients is different but ventilator can take decision on the basis of any single trigger rather than individualized management. Required volume of the gas as well as alarm management would also be a hassle for ventilator in case more than one patient is put on one ventilator. Some people also find this phenomenon of sharing immoral. In their opinion lives of patients must not be put on risk when it is obvious that one ventilator can serve for only one patient at a time.
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