Pneumonia that requires a Ventilator

[lucas_]

Why is ventilator required in some pneumonia? Is it not when the alveoli were filled up with fluid, no air can get in so how can ventilator help?

 

[.Scott]

According to NIH, it's to relieve the effort:
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/ventilatorventilator-support

For Impaired Lung Function
You may need a ventilator if a disease, condition, or other factor has impaired your breathing. Although you might be able to breathe on your own, it's very hard work. You may feel short of breath and uncomfortable. A ventilator can help ease the work of breathing. People who can't breathe on their own also use ventilators.

Many diseases, conditions, and factors can affect lung function. Examples include:

• Pneumonia (nu-MO-ne-ah) and other infections
• COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or other lung diseases
• Upper spinal cord injuries, polio, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), myasthenia gravis, and other diseases or factors that affect the nerves and muscles involved in breathing
• Brain injury or stroke
• Drug overdose

A ventilator helps you breathe until you recover. If you can't recover enough to breathe on your own, you may need a ventilator for the rest of your life.

So, presumably the pneumonia has not completely blocked every alveoli - but there is so much blockage that breathing is too much of an effort.

 

[lucas_]

According to NIH, it's to relieve the effort:
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/ventilatorventilator-support

So, presumably the pneumonia has not completely blocked every alveoli - but there is so much blockage that breathing is too much of an effort.

It helps because the air from the ventilator forces your lungs to inhale and exhale without the effort of the diaphragm? If its only to let air in the remaining alveoli. The patient can just breath more.

 

[.Scott]

Yup.

 

[pinball1970]

According to NIH, it's to relieve the effort:
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/ventilatorventilator-support

So, presumably the pneumonia has not completely blocked every alveoli - but there is so much blockage that breathing is too much of an effort.

Yes it is worth mentioning that with severe/ life threatening illness the voluntary muscles are weakened so it is a real effort to make those movements to get enough air.

This is on top of any respiratory infection like pneumonia.

Immunosuppressed/cancer patients/ elderly patients can be susceptible to pneumonia infection so the medical teams are already dealing with more than one issue.