Coronavirus: One tenth of patients survive on ventilator

Major US study shows 88 per cent of patients put on ventilators died and the majority of those hospitalised didn’t have a fever.

Hospital doctors are instructed to handle a ventilator. Picture; AFP.

Little more than a tenth of COVID-19 patients who have been put on ventilators survive, according to the largest and most comprehensive study of hospitalised patients in the United States.

Ventilators have been held up as the last hope for the sickest patients and shortages of the breathing machines last month prompted a desperate scramble by state governors and contingency plans in which one machine might be rigged to serve two patients.

However, as New York hospitals began dealing with a surge of critically ill patients, there were warnings that about 80 per cent of those placed on ventilators died.

Now a study tracking 5,700 patients admitted to 12 hospitals has showed that more than 280, or 88 per cent, of the 320 patients placed on ventilators died. The data, from Northwell Health Hospital System in New York, only had results for 2,634 of the patients as the others were still being treated.

The researchers also found that 70 per cent of patients who needed to be hospitalised did not have a fever.

One doctor working on an intensive care unit in New York, said: “The big push, early on for COVID-19 was to intubate early. Even young patients with no comorbidities were doing very poorly. We are trying to change the way we approach these patients, to not rely on putting a tube down their throats … This is such a new virus, it’s so complex.”

READ: I survived 10 days on a ventilator: it was a close run thing

The doctor, who did not wish to be named, said he had also seen poor results from giving patients hydroxychloroquine, a drug loudly touted by President Trump as a potential treatment. A study published this week suggested it might have an adverse effect.

“The president of the US advocated for it very early, I think that influenced a lot of the decision making in [intensive care units] to the detriment of the patients,” the doctor said, adding that the drug damages the liver and can cause heart problems.

This week new autopsy results from California showed that a 57-year-old woman and a 69-year-old man died of coronavirus on February 6 and February 17. It was previously believed that the first US death from the virus was not until February 29, in Washington state.

Brian Kemp, the governor of Georgia, has announced that barber shops, gyms and nail salons can reopen from today (Friday), subject to restrictions. Restaurants may also open on Monday. Mr Trump, who had previously supported protesters opposing lockdowns, said the move was “too soon”.

In New York, which has so far suffered a far greater toll than any other state, the governor Andrew Cuomo criticised Mitch McConnell, the Senate Republican leader, for saying that states with big cash shortfalls after the coronavirus should be left to go bankrupt.

“This is one of the really dumb ideas of all time,” Mr Cuomo said on Thursday.

He said that Mr McConnell was expressing an “ugly” thought, that “15,000 people died in New York but they were predominantly Democrats so why should we help them?” He added: “If there was ever a time for humanity and decency now is the time.”

The Times