2006-10-06 07:33:09 · 7 answers · asked by emily 1 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Respiratory Diseases
This is a tricky question because it is not necessarily only based on the oxygen (O2) level. There are several reasons why a patient would need to go on a ventillator. It is often a judgement call from the physician backed up by other findings.
If the decision is based on oxygen, generally the answer would be when we are unable to provide enough external oxygen to keep a patient's O2 saturation up. For healthy individuals a normal O2 sat is close to 100%. We start to worry if it drops to 90% or below. Room air is about 21% oxygen. We can increase that at most to about 40-50% by using a mask to administer O2. If we put in a breathing tube and use a respirator we can get that to 100%.
Other factors (CO2 retention, airway protection, etc) can lead to mechanical ventillation which I will not get into because the answer would get too long.
2006-10-06 07:50:26 · answer #1 · answered by goyang333 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Less than 60 on at least 40% oxygen, or less than 40% on room air. However there are many other contributing factors that contribute to the decision to mechanically ventilate such as a CO2 level higher than 50 and a respiratory rate higher than 35.
2006-10-06 17:16:31 · answer #2 · answered by twirlersmom 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its not more the o2 level as how the patients symptoms are. Are they working to breathe? HOw are the ABGS? if the ph is low and co2 is up then ventilator is the answer. Sometimes you can avoid the vent altogether by using a cpap machine
2006-10-07 10:37:40 · answer #3 · answered by steveangela1 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
They should intubate when the O2 gets down in the low 80s. Waiting longer than that deprives the brain of oxygen.
2006-10-06 07:38:36 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
A far more important indicator is whether or not the patient is able to produce effective ventilations on his or her own to keep the O2 levels adequate.
2006-10-06 07:36:14 · answer #5 · answered by Tulip 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
There are wide and varied answers, what are the patients wishes, does the patient understand the pro's and con's, then how critical is the patient, the patient may benefit from emergency BIPAP, we usually try this before we intubate, alot of times it just drives c02 higherthough and we intubate anyway.
2006-10-09 20:10:00 · answer #6 · answered by LV 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
listen to DR.Goyang he is right my mom is in SICU with a ventilater she is on 40 percent oxygen and has been on up to 60 percent due to sepsis and ARDS
2006-10-07 10:57:06 · answer #7 · answered by Terri L 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋