CPAP Machine for COVID-19: Effectiveness, Research, & More - Healthline

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) can have a potentially serious effect on your lungs. While some people can experience shortness of breath, others can develop pneumonia or a life-threatening condition called acute respiratory distress syndrome.

If you've developed COVID-19 and have difficulty breathing, you may need supplemental oxygen or mechanical ventilation.

You may wonder if a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine would be useful if you've developed COVID-19. This is a device that's most commonly used for people with sleep apnea.

The answer is no. CPAP machines have no use for people at home who have or are recovering from mild-to-moderate COVID-19.

While CPAP machines have been used in hospital settings as a noninvasive way to manage severe hypoxia (low levels of oxygen) from COVID-19, research has found that conventional oxygen therapy is just as effective and easier to deliver.

This article takes a deeper dive into what a CPAP machine is and why it's not particularly helpful for people with COVID-19.

A CPAP machine works to deliver a consistent amount of air pressure into your airways, which helps to keep those airways open.

Generally speaking, a CPAP machine has a few basic parts:

  • a mask that covers your nose and mouth
  • straps that help to secure the mask in place
  • a tube that connects the mask to a motor
  • a motor that works to supply air to the tube and mask

One of the common uses of a CPAP machine that you may be familiar with is for the treatment of sleep apnea. In sleep apnea, your airways become blocked during sleep, which can lower or stop your airflow. This is called an apnea episode.

The constant air pressure provided by the CPAP machine helps to prop your airways open while you're sleeping, lowering the frequency of apnea episodes or eliminating them completely. Due to this, a CPAP machine is one of the first-line treatments for sleep apnea.

CPAP machines may also be used in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). In this setting, they can help to treat preterm infants who have underdeveloped lungs.

Research into CPAP machines to treat COVID-19 is limited to individuals hospitalized with serious illnesses, often in intensive care units (ICUs). In these settings, CPAP machines were used as a way to manage low oxygen levels and keep people off mechanical ventilators, similar to oxygen therapy.

One study found that for people experiencing life-threatening respiratory failure from COVID-19, a CPAP machine was beneficial during the first days of hospital admission, but only for infections that cleared within 7 days. For longer hospitalizations, use of a CPAP machine was associated with an increased risk of death.

Another study compared the use of a CPAP machine versus oxygen therapy in people with COVID-19 who were deemed not likely to benefit from mechanical ventilation. The study found little benefit of a CPAP machine over oxygen in terms of clinical outcomes, and the use of a CPAP machine was more challenging.

A third study looked at CPAP machines as a way to keep people admitted to a hospital with COVID-19 off mechanical ventilation. CPAP machines were used on a continuous basis until stable improvement in oxygenation, until intubation, or until death. Of the 53 people on a CPAP machine: 12 avoided intubation, 13 were intubated, and 19 died.

No studies or evidence supports using a CPAP machine for the treatment of COVID-19 in home settings.

Generally speaking, there are two methods that doctors or healthcare professionals may use to help people with COVID-19 breathe. These are supplemental oxygen therapy and mechanical ventilation.

Supplemental oxygen therapy

Supplemental oxygen therapy focuses on providing your body with extra oxygen. This is typically given through a face mask or a nasal cannula, which consists of two prongs that clip onto your nose.

There's also a form of supplemental oxygen therapy called high-flow oxygen therapy in which air and oxygen are delivered at a higher rate. Equipment heats and humidifies the air so that it doesn't dry out the airways.

Since high-flow oxygen therapy can deliver oxygen faster, it can be beneficial if you develop more severe respiratory failure.

Mechanical ventilation

As we mentioned earlier, mechanical ventilation helps you to breathe when you're unable to do so on your own. It works to move air and oxygen into your lungs while helping to remove carbon dioxide.

Most people who are on a ventilator are in the ICU. Equipment will monitor vital signs such as respiratory rate, blood oxygen levels, and heart rate in these individuals.

When you go on a ventilator, an endotracheal tube is placed into your windpipe in order to deliver the air. A sedative is also often given. Eating isn't possible due to the endotracheal tube, so nutrition is given via a feeding tube.

If you've had COVID-19, your lungs may need some time to recover. During this period, you may find that you have lingering shortness of breath, particularly when you exert yourself.

A 2020 review article notes the importance of breathing exercises as a part of COVID-19 recovery. Here are some breathing exercises that you might try:

Diaphragmatic breathing

Diaphragmatic breathing involves breathing from your belly as opposed to your chest. It helps to improve breathing and strengthen your diaphragm. To do diaphragmatic breathing:

  1. Place your hands onto your stomach.
  2. With your mouth closed, breathe in through your nose. You should feel your stomach expand as you do this.
  3. Breathe out through your mouth. Ideally, breathing out should last two to three times longer than breathing in. You should feel your stomach move back in as you exhale.
  4. Repeat the exercise for about 1 minute.

Additionally, experts from Johns Hopkins University recommend doing your diaphragmatic breathing exercises in phases based off of your individual capabilities.

They suggest starting by doing your breathing exercises on your back with your legs bent. Next, it's recommended to try them while on your stomach, then while sitting, and eventually doing them while standing.

Yawn to smile

This exercise helps with breathing as well as improving coordination and upper body strength. To do it:

  1. Sit up straight on the edge of a chair.
  2. Yawn widely while you reach your arms over your head.
  3. Bring your arms back down to your sides, smiling as you do so.
  4. Repeat the exercise for about 1 minute.

Humming while exhaling

This exercise works by helping the blood vessels in your body to widen, allowing more oxygen to flow to the organs and tissues of your body. Humming is also a relaxing sound, so it may also help to ease feelings of anxiety. To do this exercise:

  1. Sit up straight on the edge of a chair, placing your hands on your stomach.
  2. With your mouth closed, breathe in through your nose. Try to breathe as you've practiced in diaphragmatic breathing, feeling your stomach expand as your inhale.
  3. With your mouth still closed, exhale through your nose while humming.
  4. Repeat the exercise for about 1 minute.

Some research has found that early treatment with a CPAP machine may be beneficial if you are hospitalized with severe COVID-19. There currently isn't enough evidence to support the use of a CPAP machine for mild-to-moderate COVID-19.

If you've had COVID-19, you may have lingering shortness of breath. Breathing exercises can help to improve your lung and diaphragm function. Additionally, be sure to ask a doctor about other methods that can help to improve your breathing.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Epoprostenol Via High-Flow Nasal Cannula Improves Severe Hypoxemia in PH - Pulmonology Advisor

Image
Epoprostenol Via High-Flow Nasal Cannula Improves Severe Hypoxemia in PH - Pulmonology Advisor Epoprostenol Via High-Flow Nasal Cannula Improves Severe Hypoxemia in PH - Pulmonology Advisor Posted: 11 Jul 2019 12:00 AM PDT For patients with severe hypoxemia with pulmonary hypertension or right heart dysfunction, inhaled epoprostenol through high-flow nasal cannula increases oxygenation, according to a study published in Pharmaceutics . The researchers of this retrospective study assessed the effect of inhaled epoprostenol using a high-flow nasal cannula on oxygenation and future mechanical ventilation in patients with hypoxemia comorbid with pulmonary hypertension or right heart dysfunction in an intensive care unit setting. A chart review was completed on adult patients who were admitted into the respiratory care department of the Rush University Medical Center for severe hypoxemia between July 2015 and April 2018 and treated with inha...
Read more

Dyspnea (Shortness of Breath): Causes, Symptoms & Treatment - my.clevelandclinic.org

Image
Overview Shortness of breath (dyspnea) is most commonly caused by heart or lung conditions. Other causes include anemia, anxiety, lack of exercise or living with obesity. What is dyspnea (shortness of breath)? Dyspnea (pronounced "DISP-nee-uh") is the word healthcare providers use for feeling short of breath. You might describe it as not being able to get enough air ("air hunger"), chest tightness or working harder to breathe. Shortness of breath is often a symptom of heart and lung problems. But it can also be a sign of other conditions like asthma, allergies or anxiety. Intense exercise or having a cold can also make you feel breathless. What are paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND) and sighing dyspnea? Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (PND) is a feeling like you can't breathe an hour or two after falling asleep. Sighing dyspnea is when you sigh a lot after taking deep breaths in to try to relieve the feeling of dyspnea. What is the differ...
Read more

What to Expect During Pulmonary Embolism Recovery - Healthline

Image
What to Expect During Pulmonary Embolism Recovery - Healthline What to Expect During Pulmonary Embolism Recovery - Healthline Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension: Updates in Epidemiology and Evaluation of Patients - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network Right-Sided Heart Failure: Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments - Healthline Right sided heart failure: Symptoms, outlook, treatment - Medical News Today What to Expect During Pulmonary Embolism Recovery - Healthline Posted: 19 May 2021 12:00 AM PDT A pulmonary embolism (PE) is when a blood clot becomes stuck in the blood vessels of your lung. These clots typically begin in the leg and then break free and travel to the lung. The American Lung Association estimates that about 1 in 1,000 people in the United States experience a PE each year. A PE can be a serious or life threatening condition, which means receiving prompt medical treatment is vital. Treatment of a PE focus...
Read more