I mean is the ventilator hooked up to the person's mouth?
2007-03-02 09:39:07 · 5 answers · asked by 4evaluvmuzic 2 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Respiratory Diseases
is the respirator hooked up to their mouth? If someone unplugs it, can the person die?
2007-03-02 09:41:58 · update #1
What if they are on life support because of a drug overdose? How long should they be on life support?
2007-03-02 09:51:15 · update #2
Will they die immediately?
2007-03-02 09:55:10 · update #3
The previous posts are on the right track, but not quite correct. A patient on full life support, intubated (meaning a breathing tube is inserted into their trachea and connected to the ventilator) cannot speak because the breathing tube is positioned between their vocal cords. People on a permanent ventilator (think Christopher Reeve) can talk because they are weaned to a special (trach )breathing tube that enables them to talk.
If someone disconnects the patient from the vent, the patient can die. However, hospital ventilators have numerous alarms for different situations, so if the tube disconnects, an alarm will sound. Most people on life support do NOT die; when they recover and resume their own breathing, the tube is removed and they are off the ventilator, and can speak again. Occasionally, the patient does not recover, and life support is removed, and the patient expires.
Drug overdose? Depends. If the patient was found in time, they'll start breathing on their own when the drug they took wears off. If they were "found down" after a long time, there may be permanent brain damage, and they or may not recover enough to come off the vent. I hope this helps.
2007-03-03 13:45:14 · answer #1 · answered by sandiemaye 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It depends on the type of ventilator and the person's condition. If the patient is using a face mask, it is likely that they could talk (as long as nothing else is preventing them). If the patient has a tube inserted in their mouth, the tube cannot be removed without putting the patient at risk, and they will be unable to talk while the tube is in place.
2007-03-02 17:47:10 · answer #2 · answered by formerly_bob 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Life support depends on the person and on what happened to that person. They can be getting only oxygen and that is through their nose and yes they can talk. Sometimes there is a resperator that covers their mouth and nose. In this instance talking is usually the last thing they want to do. If oxygen is vital to their survival that removing it could kill them. So make sure that anything you need to hear from them is very important. If they are awake they can always write something down for you.
2007-03-02 17:49:24 · answer #3 · answered by Lisa M 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
They can also place the tube in the nose so that the person can talk. However, usually people on ventilators are very sick, and they may not be able to talk due to other health problems and medications. Also, usually people who are intubated tend to be given something so they relax as it can be somewhat uncomfortable.
2007-03-02 17:49:11 · answer #4 · answered by Tiffany 3 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No they have a respirator in the mouth and esophagus. If you take it out they will die. It's breathing for them.
2007-03-02 17:46:41 · answer #5 · answered by gymfreak 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋