Only 2.5% patients put on ventilators survived in Punjab

OF 200 CRITICAL PATIENTS GIVEN MECHANICAL BREATHING ASSISTANCE IN THE STATE, ONLY FIVE SURVIVED

AMRITSAR : Only 2.5% of critically ill Covid-19 patients put on ventilator support in government and private hospitals across Punjab could recover from the disease.

As per the state health department data, 200 critical coronavirus patients were put on ventilation machines and only five of them (2.5%) survived. A ventilator facilitates the breathing of a patient who is physically unable to breathe. The number of Covidrelated fatalities in the state stands at 442.

Punjab has 300 ventilators in government medical colleges and hospitals (GMCH) and 900 in private facilities to treat Covid-19 patients.

Meanwhile in Punjab, the survival rate of Covid-19 patients who were given ventilator support has dipped by 7.5% in past two months. Till May 30, two of the 21 patients (10%) put on ventilator support had survived from the disease. “To date, 200 Covid-19 patients out of the total 18,527 had required ventilator support, which is only 1%. But we could save only 5 patients. The survival rate of patients on ventilators in Punjab matches the national average. The health team is focusing on lowering the fatality rate in the state. Most of the Covid-19 patients who died in the state had co-morbidities,” said Punjab’s nodal officer for Covid-19, Dr Rajesh Bhaskar.

He added, “The state has increased the ventilator capacity from 600 to 1,200 in the last two months. At present, 18 critical patients are on ventilator support in Punjab and nearly 150 patients are on oxygen support. The remaining 1,182 ventilators are vacant at present and the state is prepared to handle the worst situation.”

“The death rate of patients on ventilators is high because the cases arrive late as most of them initially hesitate in revealing their condition to the health department and take medicines without prescription. Also, the patients get referred to government hospitals from private facilities at an almost irreversible stage,” Dr Bhaskar added.