Whitman, MA/March 26, 2020/ With the current pandemic on-going, there is a shortage of mechanical ventilators required for patient with severe symptoms of COVID-19. As hospitals struggle with this, many are turning to the web to see if using a single mechanical ventilator for multiple patients can be done.
The AARC (American Association of Respiratory Care) along with other professional medical organizations from across the U.S. this week released a consensus statement addressing the question of placing multiple patients on one ventilator which“...advise(s) clinicians that sharing mechanical ventilators should not be attempted because it cannot be done safely with current equipment.”
https://www.aarc.org/joint-statement-guidance-document-on-multiple-patients-per-ventilator/
The Massachusetts Society of Respiratory Care (MSRC) is in full agreement with this consensus statement and discourages this practice to be used in Massachusetts hospitals.
If you have any further questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to the MSRC.
Contact information:
Keith Hirst, MS RRT
Massachusetts Society for Respiratory Care
207-233-9858 (cell)
About the MSRC
Established in 1978, the Massachusetts Society for Respiratory Care (MSRC) is a charter organization of the American Association for Respiratory Care.
The MSRC is a non-profit corporation that was formed in 1978. The corporation is organized to sponsor and encourage, on a regional and statewide basis, educational programs for those persons interested in the field of respiratory care: to advance the science, technology, ethics and art of respiratory care through state, interstate and intrastate institutes, meetings, lectures, newsletters and other materials; and to facilitate cooperation between respiratory care personnel and the medical profession, hospitals, government agencies, service companies, industry and other agencies or organizations interested in respiratory care or pulmonary medicine.