Applied Sciences (Jun 2022)

A Brief Analysis of a New Device to Prevent Early Intubation in Hypoxemic Patients: An Observational Study

  • Luís Alberto Brêda Mascarenhas,
  • Bruna Aparecida Souza Machado,
  • Valter Estevão Beal,
  • Katharine Valéria Saraiva Hodel,
  • Luciana Moreira Nogueira,
  • Thayse Barreto,
  • Sérgio Fernandes de Oliveira Jezler,
  • Leonardo Redig Lisboa De Azevedo,
  • Uener Franklyn Teixeira da Silva,
  • Laiane Lopes da Cruz,
  • Lúcio Couto de Oliveira Júnior,
  • Vinicius Silva Oliveira,
  • Roberto Badaró

DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/app12126052
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 12, no. 12
p. 6052

Abstract

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The need for mechanical ventilation is one of the main concerns related to the care of patients with COVID-19. The aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of a bubble device for oxygen supplementation. This device was implemented for the selected patients hospitalized with severe COVID-19 pneumonia with persistent low oxygen saturation. Patients were selected in three major COVID-19 hospitals of Bahia state in Brazil from July to November 2020, where they remained with the device for seven days and were monitored for different factors, such as vital signs, oximetry evaluation, and arterial blood gasometry. Among the 51 patients included in the study, 68.63% successfully overcame hypoxemia without the necessity to be transferred to mechanical ventilation, whereas 31.37% required tracheal intubation (p value 2 on follow-up days. Multivariate analysis revealed that the independent variable, male sex, SpO2, and non-inhaled mask, was associated with the necessity of requiring early mechanical ventilation. We concluded that this bubble device should be a prior step to be utilized before indication of mechanical ventilation in patients with persistent hypoxemia of severe COVID-19 pneumonia.

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