The COVID-19 crisis has created a huge need for nurses and respiratory therapists with ventilator management skills to care for patients with respiratory failure. BiPAP is a form of non-invasive ventilation that can be used to prevent intubation for patients with COVID pneumonia. Instructors can use refurbished ventilators and simulation scenarios to help students quickly gain the skills needed to provide BiPAP therapy to patients. In this blog, we will look at how BiPAP machines are used to treat COVID patients and how instructors can include BiPAP management skills in their nursing and respiratory therapy programs. 

BiPAP for COVID-19

Because of COVID-19, we are seeing more and more patience being intubated and placed on mechanical ventilators at the first sign of acute respirator failure. Current practice now favors delaying intubation and using non-invasive BiPAP ventilation with supplemental oxygen for these patients instead. BiPAP improves alveolar ventilation and increases CO2 elimination while avoiding the complications associated with endotracheal intubation. There is less risk of aspiration, no need for sedation and paralysis, and patients can speak with loved ones while receiving BiPAP therapy.  

Including BiPAP therapy in healthcare training programs

Instructors can utilize refurbished Respironics Vision and V60 Bipap ventilators for nursing and respiratory therapy courses as well as interdisciplinary simulations. Tablet-based ventilator simulators like the SimVS Hospital Complete with VentiSim provide engaging, interactive BiPAP training with beginning and advanced learners. The SimVS system allows instructors to continually monitor student actions and adjust the patient parameters in real time in response to their interventions. The VentiSim component effectively replicates a BiPAP ventilator with a wide variety of waveforms, modes, alarms, and pre-programmed scenarios. 

Final Thoughts

Instructors can use refurbished BiPAP ventilators and tablet-based ventilator simulators to help prepare students to care for patients with respiratory failure due to COVID-19. The DiaMedical USA team is ready to help programs balance cost and functionality in order to find the right BiPAP ventilator to meet the learning needs of their students. BiPAP masks, viral filters and non-invasive patient circuits are also available to provide complete training solutions for instructors. For more information, reach to a DiaMedical USA expert at 877-593-6011 or info@diamedicalusa.com