Ventilator Use Update

August 12, 2021

Looking back at February 15 of this year, when 45 patients were hospitalized, the number of them on ventilators was eight. Today, with 43 COVID patients, the number on ventilators is only one. What accounts for the difference? East Alabama Health hospitalist and Chief of Staff Michael Roberts points to two changes.

“First of all, I would say that the treatment of patients is constantly changing, even when there’s not a pandemic,” Dr. Roberts stated. “As clinicians, we take what we learn over the course of time and apply it going forward in an effort to improve patient outcomes. Over the past 15 months, we have learned tactics that we can use that reduce the number of patients requiring a ventilator. Some are plans we do in the hospital setting, while others—such as infusions of monoclonal antibodies—are done in an effort to prevent hospitalization.”

The second change that Dr. Roberts attributes the decreased number of ventilators to is the average age of patients. “Prior to vaccines being available, the majority of our patients were 65 and older and therefore more likely to have health issues that—when combined with COVID-19—can make it difficult for their body to keep up.”

However, Dr. Roberts says “this age group (65 and up) more readily accepted the vaccine as soon as it became available and so now the age breakdown among hospitalized patients with COVID is more spread out. In fact, the average age of COVID patients in Alabama was 54 in July. At EAMC, we’ve had many in their 30s, 40s and 50s. So while ventilator usage is down, we still have patients who become very sick from COVID, and, sadly, some across several age brackets who die from COVID.”

Michael Roberts, M.D., is a hospitalist at EAMC and is the hospital’s current Chief of Staff.