Respiratory Physios are helping to save lives all over the world. For those of you who’d like to know more, here are some of the things a respiratory physio does on a #COVIDー19 #CPAP unit:

1) We help patients clear phlegm from their lungs. Patients can develop chest infections on top of COVID. CPAP (used to treat severe COVID infection) forces air into their lungs to help them breathe. This also pushes phlegm down into the airways making it difficult to clear.

As you’d imagine phlegm clogging your airways prevents oxygen getting into your body. Oxygenation is already an uphill struggle in Covid. Physios clear these secretions with breathing exercises, manipulating CPAP settings, shaking the patients chest, and other treatments.

2) physios can also assess the best position for a patient to help oxygen get into their lungs. This can be lying on their front, lying on their side or sitting over the edge of the bed leaning forward on a table and pillows. This is an important treatment for COVID-19.

3) When in hospital unwell on CPAP some people can lose fitness. This can make it harder to reduce their CPAP support when they are ready to breathe on their own. Physios help patients to exercise/maintain fitness. For some patients this is key to them getting off the CPAP.

It takes a skilled and dedicated multidisciplinary team to deliver good care to patients. We are just one (very important) part of that.

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