Treating patients with severe cases of the novel coronavirus disease often requires the use of ventilators — a piece of equipment that’s in short supply in some global hot spots.
But what exactly do ventilators do, and why are they so important in treating COVID-19 patients? Ventilators deliver oxygen to the lungs, which is an important part of treating severe coronavirus cases, said Dr.
Azad Mashari, a Toronto-based anesthesiologist and lecturer in the University of Toronto’s department of anesthesia. The novel coronavirus causes a respiratory infection that can make it difficult for people who have COVID-19 — the disease caused by the virus — to breathe. “Ventilators are not a treatment, per se, they’re considered what’s called supportive