The American Heart Association (AHA), in conjunction with the American Association for Respiratory Care (AARC) and American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) is offering guidance in oxygenation and ventilation management for healthcare providers as hospital volumes surge from COVID-19.
AHA released training modules to teach healthcare professionals about the basics of oxygenation and ventilation management for COVID-19 patients. This guidance was published on April 3 on the Association’s CPR and First Aid website cpr.heart.org.
“Given that COVID-19 patients will have respiratory issues and even respiratory failure, the American Heart Association felt it was important to bring all healthcare professionals the opportunity to quickly learn the basics of oxygenation and ventilation management and to be able to access this information when they most need it,” said Comilla Sasson (UCHealth, Aurora, USA) a practicing emergency room physician and vice-president for emergency cardiovascular care science and innovation at the AHA.
The modules include specific guidance for the non-intensive care unit (ICU) healthcare provider for patients requiring ventilation assistance who are under investigation for or confirmed cases of COVID-19, how to mitigate risks of frequently used ventilation assistance devices such as non-invasive ventilation and high flow nasal cannula in the COVID-19 pandemic, and how to discuss risk mitigation techniques specific to COVID-19 used to protect healthcare providers.
