COVID-19, Ventilators and Intubation

While the practice of intubation isn’t new to the medical field, it has recently become better known to the public because of its use for breathing assistance with patients who are seriously ill with COVID-19.

The process of intubating a patient involves threading a tube through a person’s mouth or nose into their trachea (often referred to as their windpipe), directly above the lungs, then connecting the tube to a mechanical ventilator.

Even though there are risks involved with the procedure, Richard Watkins, M.D., a Northeast Ohio Medical University associate professor of internal medicine who specializes in infectious disease, tells Prevention, the odds are in patients’ favors.

“Most people who are intubated for COVID-19 survive,” says Dr. Watkins.

Read more on COVID-19 patients and intubation in Prevention.