If you or a loved one is suffering from a severe case of Covid-19, you may need to go on a ventilator. It's important to learn as much as possible about ventilator use for Covid-19 so that you know what to expect.

The following are six things you should know as a Covid-19 patient regarding ventilator use to treat the condition. 

A ventilator helps patients who are suffering from severe cases of Covid-19 to breathe properly and take in an adequate amount of oxygen.

Covid-19 is a respiratory infection. This means that it can impact a patient's ability to breathe properly. Patients suffering from a severe case of Covid-19 cannot take in adequate amounts of oxygen through breathing normally.

Covid-19 patients are therefore put on a ventilator when they need assistance with oxygen intake. 

Patients going on a ventilator generally need to be sedated.

Patients who have never been on a ventilator before need to know that ventilator treatment generally involves sedation. Going on a ventilator requires a patient to have a breathing tube put inside their body. Sedation keeps Covid-19 patients comfortable while they're on a ventilator. 

Going on a ventilator is referred to as intubation.

The process of going on a ventilator is referred to as intubation. Intubation refers to placing a breathing tube into the patient's lungs. 

Covid-19 patients who go on a ventilator are generally suffering from pneumonia.

Covid-19 patients who require a ventilator are usually suffering from an infection of the lungs. This infection makes it so that the affected patients can't breathe properly. Covid-19 patients require a ventilator when their infection leads to pneumonia in the lungs that prevents adequate oxygen intake. 

Patients will need to be fed intravenously while on a ventilator.

A patient who goes on a ventilator as the result of Covid-19 may need to be on a ventilator for several days. Patients cannot eat normally while on a ventilator. Therefore, they will typically be put on a feeding tube and be fed intravenously while they are on a ventilator. 

Patients generally do not experience any pain when they are put on a ventilator.

Pain is prevented during intubation through sedation. Patients can't go on a ventilator unless they are sedated. Generally speaking, patients are not fully conscious while they are on a ventilator. As a patient's condition improves, they are gradually weaned off the ventilator and any sedatives as their lungs become stronger. 

Contact a medical professional to learn more ventilator use for Covid-19 patients.