When patients on ventilators aren’t getting enough oxygen into their bloodstreams, one thing doctors will try is flipping them over onto their stomachs.
Prone ventilation has been in use for patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome, or ARDS, for years, but now hospitals are trying something new with COVID-19 patients; having them lie prone before they have to go on a ventilator.
Having COVID patients on ventilators lie on their stomachs was already a clear choice, said Dr. Craig Coopersmith, interim director of the Emory Critical Care Center.
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