As hospitals continue to struggle to find more ventilators, ABC News explores the growing concerns about their use.
Research has shown that only a third of patients placed on a ventilator survive the experience. Now, some experts are wondering if ventilators could be contributing to the poor survival rate and whether ventilators are being overused.
Patients with COVID-19 struggle to get sufficient levels of oxygen due to the severe lung damage caused by the virus, according to Dr. Scott Kopec, a pulmonology/critical care physician and former director of the pulmonary and critical care fellowship program at the University of Massachusetts. Kopec explained that lungs can be so severely compromised by COVID-19 that sometimes even a ventilator is not enough help.
Read more from ABC News.