Going on a ventilator NOT Covid

[user898989]

A family member had a fall and has had to go into hospital, we don't quite know what caused it but was told he was going in as a precaution and was conscious. He's taken a turn this evening and has been put on a ventilator, he has COPD so assuming it could be related to that. Does this sound serious? I've heard all the worrying things around ventilators and Covid, 50% etc, is this serious for someone who doesn't have Covid too?? What does going on a ventilator mean? Is he conscious? We got the knowledge third hand and not wanting to pester them at this stage so waiting to hear more.

Yes I’m sorry to say this is serious.. it depends why he’s on the ventilator. If he’s banged his head and his breathing is off because of a bleed on the brain, that’s critical illness. Generally people are not conscious on a ventilator

I am not a medical person so I might not be using the right terminology . But I had a friend who was Injured in a car accident many years ago and her brain was swollen. So she was put into an artificial coma and ventilated to stop her from moving so her brain could recover.
Could it be a similar situation?

Normally you are sedated (there's various levels), it's serious, but the outcome is based on why he is on there.

If his COPD has worsened or asthma flare up then it may just be giving his lungs a rest - i've had that for several days at a time, thought not for COPD.

It's a weird experience and can be quite frightening - he will be confused for a while when he comes round so best to speak to a medical professional.

I had a family member who had scarred lung damage and was sedated and out on a ventilator to give his lungs a rest. He pulled through.

It is serious. From experience, an ex of mine had severe epilepsy that would very often (every few months) result in him being taken into ICU and sedated into a temporary coma and put on a ventilator as at that point of sedation he was unable to breathe unaided. Only once the fitting stopped for some time (his brain was still fitting) was he slowly taken off sedation until he was able to breathe by himself. This was hit and miss, sometimes delaying and going back under.
If you need a machine to breathe for you, it's definitely serious. He won't be conscious with the vent in. Reducing the sedation might make him fight to pull the tube out as he becomes conscious and breathes on his own.

Definitely serious. They will be in the ICU if they are on a ventilator. Can't really speculate the reason they have been ventilated. Maybe the fall was caused by a stroke or they suffered a head injury. Wishing your family all the best though.

What does going on a ventilator mean? Is he conscious? We got the knowledge third hand and not wanting to pester them at this stage so waiting to hear more.

Third hand from who?

None invasive ventilation (NIV) is used very commonly for exacerbations of COPD. If he is on NIV then he will be conscious and not sedated. It is usually worn as a mask and looks a bit similar to a CPAP mask for sleep apnoea (but is different). He could be on an ICU or high dependency ward, or a general ward. I used to work on a respiratory ward and we always had patients on NIV.

Do you know which ward he is on? You can try ringing them now to ask the night staff to update you.

@AlrightTreacle sorry having a problem with user name change. Second hand not third hand, from MIL, it's my FIL.

He's on the high dependency ward, no one was available to talk last night on the ward for an update, I've been Googling and from what's been said I'm assuming (hoping) it's NIV ventilation as he's not on ICU?

Ventilated is where you’re sedated and the machine is doing the breathing for you, as a pp said NIV is different, it’s more helping you to breathe. Sometimes you need a bit of sedation to help regulate your breathing with the machine. There are different kinds, CPAP, BIPAP, high flow. If your mil asks they’ll explain.

Head injuries can lead to decreased levels of consiousness and people with COPD tend to retain carbon dioxide at the best of times. when they are drowsy self ventilation becomes more ineffective and CO2 continues to rise. High CO2 in brain injuries is bad so we put them on mechanical ventilation to manage this.

Yes it is serious. Possibly he has pneumonia which either caused him to fall or as a consequence of the fall and immobility. He will be sedated so as not to resist the ventilator tube and be kept comfortable. Hopefully it will prove a short term but if longer term they may consider a tracheostomy which would enable him to be less sedated and more alert.