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Published on: Apr 05, 2020
3 minute read
By: Dr Rajan Choudhary

Ventilators, When Breathing Is Not Enough For Covid-19 Patients!

Ventilators. A device few had heard of before the pandemic.

This life saving machine is desperately sought after by hospitals around the world. COVID patients with the most severe symptoms require ventilator support to survive and recover. But what is this machine? And what does it actually do?

THE BASICS

Breathing is a simple task, one that we do not think about. When we breathe our chest expands, and air is pulled into our lungs. Here oxygen is exchanged into the blood and transported by the pumping heart throughout the body. In our cells the oxygen is used to release energy from our food, and drive every process and reaction that keeps us alive and functioning.

COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by the coronavirus. Its symptoms include a dry cough, fever, feeling tired and more. In most patients the disease is mild. However some suffer from severe disease, causing havoc in their lungs. It can cause viral pneumonia in both of the patients lungs, which reduces the amount of lung able to bring in oxygen to the lung. The patient’s respiratory rate increases, as they struggle to draw in oxygen.

If a person is struggling to breathe on room air doctors can provide them extra oxygen. This is given through a mask they wear on their face. Normal air only has 21% oxygen, but in hospitals it is possible to give air that is 100% oxygen. This means more oxygen reaches the blood, and the patient has to put in less effort to breathe to get the same amount of oxygen to their cells.

In severe cases it can cause widespread inflammation in the lungs, causing fluid to build up and making breathing harder and more laborious. The patient can become tired having to breathe quicker and harder, and this is when doctors look to intensive care specialists and ventilator support.

VENTILATION

If a person is unable to breathe for themselves, it is possible to do this manually or mechanically. Specialists can insert a tube into the mouth of an unconscious patient that enters their windpipe. A bag pump can be attached to this, which a doctor can squeeze to push air into the patient’s lungs. But a person cannot continuously squeeze this bag to keep ventilating someone, as this is time consuming and tiring.

Ventilators are composed of a compressible reservoir or turbine that can push air into the patients lungs. Unlike regular pumps that continuously push air or water, ventilators have to mimic how we breathe. We inspire air in, then expire air out. Ventilators achieve this by pushing in air for a few seconds, inflating the lungs, then releasing the pressure. The natural elasticity of the patients ribs and lungs squeezes the excess air out, mimicking exhalation.

Modern ventilators are very smart, and have many configurable settings. They can be set to deliver defined quantities of air, change the rate of breathing and other advanced settings.

Hospitals regularly use ventilators for patients who are struggling to breathe, patients who are in a coma and have lost the ability to breathe, and also for anaesthetised patients in operating theatres. During the pandemic hospitals are cancelling unnecessary or non-emergency operations, redistributing these ventilators to be used for COVID patients instead.

MAKE MORE VENTS

It is estimated that up to 30% of patients that are admitted to hospital require ventilators. Most hospitals across the world do not have enough ventilators because they have never needed to ventilate so many patients. Governments have recruited the help of manufacturing companies to ramp up production of ventilators. In the UK F1 teams, military aircraft constructors and hoover manufacturers have all taken up the challenge and repurposed their factories.

There have also been innovations to create new ventilator designs that are cheap and easy to produce. This often involves off-the-shelf equipment that is already present in hospitals, and 3D printed parts. Such machines often do not require electricity or circuit board electronics, and can even be powered by the high pressure oxygen flowing from gas canisters or hospital walls.

- University College Dublin: https://techcrunch.com/2020/03/19/open-source-project-spins-up-3d-printed-ventilator-validation-prototype-in-just-one-week/ ventilator prototype

- University of Oxford: http://www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-03-31-ventilator-project-oxvent-gets-green-light-uk-government-proceed-next-stage-testing Ventilator project

NEVER A SIMPLE SOLUTION

But as always its not always this simple. Ventilators are complex machines requiring specialist training to function and maintain, as ventilation and respiratory physiology is quite complicated. Ventilators will be of limited use if hospitals do not have enough staff trained to use them safely.

Ventilators are not without risk either. Because they push air into the lung, continuous use, excessive pressures and improper use can cause some damage to the delicate anatomy inside the lung, causing problems in itself. The plastic tube can also be a source of infection. Some hospitals that have had a sharp increase in ventilated patients have encountered problems supplying all their patients with pressurised oxygen. The patient load is overwhelming their infrastructure.

Unfortunately like most things in medicine, ventilators are not a magic cure. Due to the shortage of ventilators not everyone who needs one is able to get it. Most patients who end up needing ventilation are severely ill. The longer a person is on a ventilator the less likely they are to survive. This means that current mortality is rather high.

As more ventilators become available this treatment may become available to those with less severe symptoms, who are more likely to survive especially with this extra help. It is difficult to make these predictions because so many different variables can have an effect. For now we will have to wait and see.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR ME?

The best way to help in these situations is by not catching the virus. This is especially true for those who are elderly, have diabetes, cardiovascular issues or lung diseases. These high-risk patients are more likely to have more serious symptoms, requiring hospitalization. This is why so many countries have enforced lockdown measures. The fewer that are infected, the fewer that need ventilation.

If you do need to leave the house, always follow the following procedures:

- Wash your hands regularly for 20 seconds with soap or alcohol

- Wear a mask outside: This is now official WHO policy

- If you need to cough or sneeze do so into your arm or a tissue

- Only leave the house for essential activities, shopping or to visit the doctor.

Dr Rajan Choudhary, Chief Product Officer & President, Second Medic UK

www.secondmedic.com

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Remote Cardiac Monitoring India: Transforming Heart Health Through Continuous Digital Tracking

Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death in India. According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), cardiovascular diseases account for nearly 28% of total deaths in the country. With rising stress levels, sedentary lifestyles, air pollution exposure, diabetes, hypertension, and delayed diagnosis, the need for better cardiac monitoring has grown significantly. Remote cardiac monitoring India is emerging as a powerful solution to monitor heart health in real time and detect abnormalities before they turn into emergencies.

Remote cardiac monitoring involves wearable or portable ECG devices that track heart signals continuously or at regular intervals. These devices transmit data securely to cardiologists or AI-based systems, enabling early detection of arrhythmias, rhythm abnormalities, ischemic patterns, and fluctuations in heart rate variability (HRV). SecondMedic brings cutting-edge remote monitoring options that help patients manage heart-related risks effectively, anytime and anywhere.

Why Remote Cardiac Monitoring Is Becoming Essential in India

India has a disproportionately high cardiac burden. Reports by WHO show that Indians suffer heart attacks at a younger age compared to global averages. Additionally, more than 50% of cardiac patients in India do not recognize early warning signs and reach hospitals late.

Remote cardiac monitoring helps solve these challenges by offering:

Early arrhythmia detection
Timely identification of heart stress
Post-surgery cardiac recovery supervision
Reduced hospital dependency
Continuous heart rhythm tracking
Better outcomes for chronic heart patients

With easy access to digital ECG devices, monitoring is no longer limited to hospitals.

How Remote Cardiac Monitoring Works

Remote cardiac monitoring uses smart ECG patches, chest straps, handheld ECG devices, and even AI-driven wearables. These devices record heart electrical activity or rhythm patterns and transmit the data to:

Cardiologists
Digital dashboards
AI algorithms
Care teams

The real-time nature of the data allows immediate response in case of abnormalities.

Core parameters captured include:

ECG waveform
Heart rate variability (HRV)
Arrhythmias (AFib, SVT, PVCs)
Tachycardia or bradycardia
QT interval abnormalities
Stress-related heart rhythm changes

SecondMedic ensures that the captured data is clinically relevant and accessible to both patients and doctors.

Patients Who Benefit Most from Remote Cardiac Monitoring

1. Post-Cardiac Surgery Patients

After angioplasty, bypass surgery, pacemaker implantation, or stent placement, patients require strict monitoring for weeks or months. Remote devices track recovery trends.

2. Individuals With Arrhythmia

Conditions like atrial fibrillation (AFib) require continuous monitoring, as episodes may come and go unpredictably.

3. Patients With Heart Failure

Monitoring helps evaluate worsening symptoms or cardiac stress.

4. High-Risk Individuals

Patients with diabetes, hypertension, obesity, or family history of heart disease benefit from early detection.

5. Elderly and Homebound Patients

Remote monitoring eliminates frequent hospital visits for routine ECG checks.

6. People Experiencing Palpitations

Intermittent symptoms can be captured and analyzed with wearable monitors.

Key Advantages of Remote Cardiac Monitoring

Early Detection Saves Lives

Abnormal rhythms such as atrial fibrillation can go unnoticed and lead to stroke. Remote monitoring detects these in real time.

Avoids Emergency Situations

AI alerts allow doctors to intervene early before symptoms worsen.

Better Long-Term Cardiac Care

Continuous data provides better insights than occasional clinic-based ECGs.

High Accuracy

Medical-grade ECG wearables match hospital-level precision for diagnosis.

Patient Convenience

Patients can monitor their heart health from home, office, or while traveling.

Improved Doctor Decisions

Trend-based cardiac data supports more accurate treatment planning.

Role of AI in Remote Cardiac Monitoring

AI and machine learning models analyze patterns collected from ECG devices.

AI enhances care by:

Identifying subtle abnormalities
Predicting arrhythmia events
Detecting ischemic trends early
Classifying ECG signal types
Reducing manual interpretation burden

SecondMedic integrates AI-assisted analysis to strengthen cardiac risk evaluation.

Post-Surgery and Rehabilitation Monitoring

Cardiac rehabilitation is crucial after major procedures. Remote monitoring provides:

Heart rate control
Blood pressure trend tracking
Rhythm abnormality detection
Activity monitoring
Medication adherence support

This reduces readmission rates and supports safer recovery.

Remote Cardiac Monitoring in Rural India

Many small towns lack cardiology specialists or advanced ECG equipment. Remote monitoring bridges this gap by:

Connecting patients to cardiologists virtually
Providing ECG analysis without hospital visits
Reducing delay in diagnosis
Supporting long-term monitoring at home

SecondMedic helps democratize heart care access across India.

Challenges and Solutions

Device Accuracy Variability

Solution: Use medical-grade, certified ECG wearables.

Digital Literacy Issues

Solution: Simple interfaces, guided onboarding, multilingual instructions.

Data Security

Solution: End-to-end encrypted data under DPDP Act compliance.

Connectivity Challenges

Solution: Devices with offline sync capabilities.

Future of Remote Cardiac Monitoring in India

The next decade will bring significant advancements:

Patch-based continuous ECG devices
AI-driven early warning scores
Smart pacemaker data integration
Multi-day continuous ECG monitoring
Predictive arrhythmia detection algorithms
Tele-ICU support for remote patients

SecondMedic is actively working to integrate next-generation cardiac monitoring tools into its platform.

Conclusion

Remote cardiac monitoring India is transforming heart care by enabling real-time ECG tracking, early abnormality detection, and continuous cardiologist oversight. This digital-first approach empowers high-risk patients, improves outcomes, and ensures safer long-term cardiac management. SecondMedic’s integrated digital heart monitoring solutions allow patients across India to access expert cardiac care anytime.

To explore remote cardiac monitoring solutions, visit www.secondmedic.com

References

ICMR - Cardiovascular disease burden
WHO - Early cardiac risk detection
NITI Aayog - Digital health innovation in India
ABDM - Unified digital health mission
Statista - Wearable and ECG device adoption India
SecondMedic cardiac care insights

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