Ventilator Care at Monument Health
Breathing is essential for life, but there are times when people are unable to breathe without assistance due to:
- Illness
- Injury
- Surgery
In some cases, a tracheostomy may enable an individual to get enough oxygen and have secretions safely removed. However, there are cases when an individual requires mechanical ventilation. Anyone on a ventilator must be monitored closely by respiratory therapists and nurses.
Monument Health provides post-hospital and long-term care for individuals recovering from illness, injury, or surgery. Those who need to be on a ventilator can receive the expert care needed at Monument Health’s skilled nursing facilities.
What Is Ventilator Care in a Skilled Nursing Facility?
Individuals may be intubated and placed on a ventilator when in the hospital. These individuals must stay in bed. In addition to having their movements restricted, they are unable to speak, eat, or drink.
Although being on a ventilator is serious, individuals may stabilize. Once stabilized, a person on a ventilator may be transferred to a skilled nursing facility.
Reasons patients on a ventilator may move to a skilled nursing facility for care include:
- Comfort: Skilled nursing facilities are more comfortable for individuals requiring long-term care.
- Cost: It’s less expensive to receive around-the-clock care in a skilled nursing facility
Who Needs Ventilator Care?
Anyone unable to get enough oxygen on their own may need ventilator care. The ventilator ensures the person receives enough oxygen, allowing their organs to function and preventing organ failure or death.
Reasons a person may not be able to get enough oxygen include:
- Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)
- Asthma
- Brain injury
- Cardiac arrest
- Chest, spine, or neck trauma
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- Collapsed lung
- Coma
- COVID-19
- Drug overdose
- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- Muscular dystrophy
- Pneumonia
- Sepsis
- Stroke
Since it’s more likely for older adults to suffer from severe medical issues, such as a stroke or pneumonia, older adults are more likely to require ventilator care.
What Does Daily Ventilator Care Look Like in a Skilled Nursing Facility?
Respiratory therapists are a crucial part of the medical teams staffing Monument Health’s skilled nursing facilities.
Respiratory therapists and registered nurses monitor residents requiring ventilator care, ensuring the following:
- Airway placement: Medical professionals ensure proper airway placement.
- Head elevation: Elevating the resident’s head helps prevent infection.
- Oxygen saturation: Respiratory therapists and nurses monitor residents on ventilators to ensure their blood oxygen saturation levels are high enough to prevent hypoxemia.
The medical care teams also monitor the residents’ vital signs and lung sounds to ensure they receive enough oxygen.
What Monitoring and Safety Measures Are Used for Ventilator Patients?
Respiratory therapists and nurses monitor a ventilated individual by checking their:
- Blood pressure
- Blood oxygen levels
- Body temperature
- Exhaled carbon dioxide
- Heart rate
Individuals receiving ventilator care receive around-the-clock monitoring by medical professionals who use alarms to alert them if oxygen levels are low or if other concerns arise. The care teams also clean and suction the tube to prevent infections and blockages.
Post-Ventilator Care
Ideally, individuals receiving ventilator care will recover and be able to breathe without being intubated. At Monument Health, our teams develop personalized care plans for each person. These care plans adhere to the individual’s medical care requirements, while promoting their recovery.
Respiratory therapists establish protocols to help wean the individual off the ventilator and use exercises to help them strengthen their respiratory muscles. They also teach individuals how to breathe, manage coughs, and prevent aspirations.
Speech therapy is also crucial for ensuring a ventilated person’s recovery. Speech therapists use exercises to help individuals strengthen their mouth, tongue, and throat muscles. These muscles are essential for speaking and swallowing. Speech therapy also helps individuals regain their verbal communication skills and the ability to eat, drink, and swallow safely after extubation.
Expert Ventilator Care at Monument Health
Having a loved one who needs ventilator care after an illness, injury, or surgery can be frightening for family members. You may be concerned about the level of medical care needed and how to support their recovery.
At Monument Health, our skilled nursing facilities feature highly trained teams of licensed medical professionals with experience providing expert short- and long-term care. Our care teams work together to assess each resident and develop unique care plans tailored to their health conditions and recovery objectives.
Every professional essential for promoting their recovery is involved, and we communicate openly with family members. You can be confident that you know what treatment your loved one is receiving, how it supports their recovery, and how you can help them during the recovery process.