Advantages Of Iron Lungs Over Intubation And Evacuation For Treatment Of Acute Respiratory Disorders

[Monk-Eye]

" Advantages Of Iron Lungs Over Intubation And Evacuation For Treatment Of Acute Respiratory Disorders :"

* Mechanical Engineering Meets Medicine *

The method of intubation and evacuation is complicated and it requires a sophisticated skill set to implement and maintain - Does Sitting Up While On A Ventilator Seem Correct ? .

Alternatively , a patient in an iron lung could have an ability to breath oxygen and cough out expectorant , while artificial breathing could stave off succumbing to interstitial exhaustion .

Would iron lungs be more advantageous than intubation and evacuation for those hospitalized with acute respiratory disorders ?

Would it be reasonable to be given an option between an iron lung versus intubation and extraction as medical treatment for an acute respiratory disorder ?

Was there a reason why iron lungs were not utilized during covid 19 pandemic ?

Iron lung - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The use of iron lungs is largely obsolete in modern medicine, as more modern breathing therapies have been developed,[5] and due to the eradication of polio in most of the world.[6] However, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic revived some interest in the device as a cheap, readily-producible substitute for positive-pressure ventilators, which were feared to be outnumbered by patients potentially needing temporary artificially assisted respiration.[7][8][9][10]

Tracheal intubation - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Because it is an invasive and uncomfortable medical procedure, intubation is usually performed after administration of general anesthesia and a neuromuscular-blocking drug. It can, however, be performed in the awake patient with local or topical anesthesia or in an emergency without any anesthesia at all. Intubation is normally facilitated by using a conventional laryngoscope, flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope, or video laryngoscope to identify the vocal cords and pass the tube between them into the trachea instead of into the esophagus. Other devices and techniques may be used alternatively.
Intubation may be necessary for a patient with decreased oxygen content and oxygen saturation of the blood caused when their breathing is inadequate (hypoventilation), suspended (apnea), or when the lungs are unable to sufficiently transfer gasses to the blood.[5]

No single method for confirming tracheal tube placement has been shown to be 100% reliable. Accordingly, the use of multiple methods for confirmation of correct tube placement is now widely considered to be the standard of care.[35]

 

[Dekster]

I am not sure there are any available. I recall reading a story several years back where the last woman on an iron lung died after a storm knocked out the power to her remote home and the family were unable to start the generators and couldn't evacuate her because trees down across the roads.

 

[Flopper]

" Advantages Of Iron Lungs Over Intubation And Evacuation For Treatment Of Acute Respiratory Disorders :"

* Mechanical Engineering Meets Medicine *

The method of intubation and evacuation is complicated and it requires a sophisticated skill set to implement and maintain - Does Sitting Up While On A Ventilator Seem Correct ? .

Alternatively , a patient in an iron lung could have an ability to breath oxygen and cough out expectorant , while artificial breathing could stave off succumbing to interstitial exhaustion .

Would iron lungs be more advantageous than intubation and evacuation for those hospitalized with acute respiratory disorders ?

Would it be reasonable to be given an option between an iron lung versus intubation and extraction as medical treatment for an acute respiratory disorder ?

Was there a reason why iron lungs were not utilized during covid 19 pandemic ?

Iron lung - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The use of iron lungs is largely obsolete in modern medicine, as more modern breathing therapies have been developed,[5] and due to the eradication of polio in most of the world.[6] However, in 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic revived some interest in the device as a cheap, readily-producible substitute for positive-pressure ventilators, which were feared to be outnumbered by patients potentially needing temporary artificially assisted respiration.[7][8][9][10]

Tracheal intubation - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Because it is an invasive and uncomfortable medical procedure, intubation is usually performed after administration of general anesthesia and a neuromuscular-blocking drug. It can, however, be performed in the awake patient with local or topical anesthesia or in an emergency without any anesthesia at all. Intubation is normally facilitated by using a conventional laryngoscope, flexible fiberoptic bronchoscope, or video laryngoscope to identify the vocal cords and pass the tube between them into the trachea instead of into the esophagus. Other devices and techniques may be used alternatively.
Intubation may be necessary for a patient with decreased oxygen content and oxygen saturation of the blood caused when their breathing is inadequate (hypoventilation), suspended (apnea), or when the lungs are unable to sufficiently transfer gasses to the blood.[5]

No single method for confirming tracheal tube placement has been shown to be 100% reliable. Accordingly, the use of multiple methods for confirmation of correct tube placement is now widely considered to be the standard of care.[35]

The major problem with iron lungs is they make it difficult to administer other therapy, procedures, and tests since the chest is incased. When dealing with serious lower respiratory illness, it important that the care team has good access to the patient chest and midsection

An iron lung is actually a ventilator that uses negative pressure to force expansion of the chest to draw air into the lungs. A ventilator uses positive pressure to force air into lungs.

Neither method is natural. A ventilator requires intubation, forcing a tube down the nose or mouth into the windpipe. I have had it done and it is not fun having a tube sticking down your throat for days or weeks.

If you have a serious case of covid, you will need procedures, tests, and imaging such as image-guided interventions in one form or the other including X-rays, ultrasonography (USG), echocardiography (ECHO), and CT scan, also bronchoscopy and possibly other procedures such as life saving coronary procedures. Most of this stuff, you can't do while the patient is in an iron lung and you would not want to stop ventilating the patient.

The new iron lung is certainly better but there are still drawbacks.

 

[Monk-Eye]

" Psychopathology Advocating Abdication To Dominance Hierarchies Of Narrowed Perspective "

* Hippocratic Hypocrisy Oath Occurring *

The major problem with iron lungs is they make it difficult to administer other therapy, procedures, and tests since the chest is incased. When dealing with serious lower respiratory illness, it important that the care team has good access to the patient chest and midsection
An iron lung is actually a ventilator that uses negative pressure to force expansion of the chest to draw air into the lungs. A ventilator uses positive pressure to force air into lungs.
Neither method is natural. A ventilator requires intubation, forcing a tube down the nose or mouth into the windpipe. I have had it done and it is not fun having a tube sticking down your throat for days or weeks.
If you have a serious case of covid, you will need procedures, tests, and imaging such as image-guided interventions in one form or the other including X-rays, ultrasonography (USG), echocardiography (ECHO), and CT scan, also bronchoscopy and possibly other procedures such as life saving coronary procedures. Most of this stuff, you can't do while the patient is in an iron lung and you would not want to stop ventilating the patient.
The new iron lung is certainly better but there are still drawbacks.

Where were the resources of facilities , materials and staff to not only intubate but also to evacuate phlegm from the unconscious , or worse strapping down the conscious to keep them from pulling out the tubes blocking them from coughing ?

What was the ratio of individuals in need of assisted breathing , while also conscious and capable of coughing expectorant , to those succumbing to interstitial exhaustion waiting to be processed ?

An inflatable ring , or some other bladder contraption would allow patient access .

An automated tool to move an oxygen mask in place for a patient would be a required and useful functional feature .

The resources to cast multitudes of iron lungs are readily available , and conceivably the utility could serve to relieve the necessity for specialized practitioners and materials for body invasive methods .

The traditional institutions of medicine collaborate among superlative snoots who market specialized wing dings , however the demand by compelling numbers of patients , beyond which typical staffing levels could not anticipate , indicate that the medical field should address , with candor , an obvious compromise of its integrity to satisfy the objectives its oaths .

Mucus Clearance Strategies in Mechanically Ventilated Patients

The use of airway clearance strategies as supplementary treatment in respiratory disease has been best investigated in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis (NCFBE), conditions which are traditionally characterized ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Clearance of foreign particles and bacteria from the lungs is an important factor in host immunity, facilitated by the optimal functioning of the mucociliary system in conjunction with the cough reflex.

There are two primary etiologies for a defective mucociliary clearance: dysfunctional cilia and dehydration of the airways.

Excessive tracheobronchial secretions along with an ineffective or weak cough have also been shown to be an important factor determining extubation failure in up to 89% of patients failing extubation or tracheostomy decannulation (Jaber et al., 2018; Maggiore et al., 2018). Evidence in support of airway clearance therapies for mechanically ventilated patients is sparse at best, underpinning the limitations for standardization of airway clearance protocols as a necessary part of routine care. In this review, we will explore mucus clearance techniques with proven benefit in patients with mucociliary disorders and explore their role in patients requiring mechanical ventilation.

 

[WinterBorn]

And where do you stores a few dozen iron lungs? The material needed for an intubation is relatively compact.

 

[Monk-Eye]

" More Easily Deployed And Functionally Better "

* Not Restricted To Medical Facilities *

And where do you stores a few dozen iron lungs? The material needed for an intubation is relatively compact.

Intubation comes with limited medical beds in limited hospitals , that also requires sparse , technically trained , medical staff .

The iron lungs can be deployed anywhere and can be managed by laymen ; the oilfield is loaded with supplies .