Quote:
Originally Posted by MDLNB
Since you are the resident expert I was asking how the hospital patients were being treated and how the recent success has changed the survival rate. The reason I ask is that they do not seem to need the respirators as much as they did in the beginning of the crisis. I would think that the success they have had in hospitals would be a positive factor in survival rate of the virus.
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Well, I've been retired 6 years so I am not actively treating COVID patients in an inpatient setting. I do however still talk with colleagues that are still in practice and have a reasonable understanding of medicine.
I think the answer to your question is multifactorial:
First, even a year ago, I think the media hype over mechanical ventilation was more than the number of respirators that were actually used----NY is a good example.
Next, the treatment remains largely supportive----fluids, mechanical ventilation if needed, standard antivirals and the usual antibiotics for secondary bacterial infections.
And some of these patients have been vaccinated so they probably do better because of that.
But probably the biggest reason for better survival is that providers have gained more experience treating these cases---almost all diseases do better as experience treating them is gained.