“When does COPD require a ventilator?”
My grandmother has COPD, and is very short on breath. It's getting hard for her to breathe. Would she need to be on a ventilator soon? What determines it?
1 Answer
If her work of breathing is increased and if she gets in to a hypercabric respiratory failure, with a pH less than 7.35. Before being placed on a mechanical ventilator, she can be tried in a BiPAAP machine, which is a biphasic non invasive ventilator y device, to help with her work of breathing and fix her uncompensated respiratory acidosis ( pH < 7.35, with u
increased CO2). Of that didn’t fix it then she can be placed on a mechanical ventilation device.
increased CO2). Of that didn’t fix it then she can be placed on a mechanical ventilation device.
