Items
Tag is exactly
ventilator
-
2021-03-09
Long Live My Mama
I feel like my mama story needs to be heard. We loss millions of people to it . -
2022-03-08
Eddie Case on Anderson Cooper
This link goes to an Anderson Cooper interview with Eddie Case, an Arizona man infected with Covid, placed on a ventilator and respirator then placed in a medically induced coma for 20 days. When he woke he had no idea why he was in the hospital. I met Eddie Case yesterday when he shared his COVID Story with me at the Arizona Historical Society's Marked by Covid memorial event. His story is in the archive as well. The interview originally aired on July 16, 2020. -
2020-03-20
Eddie Case Oral History, 2022/03/07
[curator's note] I recorded this interview at the Arizona Historical Society's 2nd Annual Covid Memorial Event at the Arizona Heritage Center. Eddie spoke about his experience as one of the first cases of Covid in Arizona, and his illness and long recovery. He views his story as a blessing. -
08/04/2020
Anonymous Oral History, 2020/08/04
Anonymous oral history of Dr who is treating patients and a Massachusetts hospital. He talks about working with residents and students and how work life has changed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. He discusses one such patient who is an employee at his hospital who contracted Covid-109 and was dealing with the implications of it. He mentions that the patient is of Salvadoran decent and had to learn how to take steps and even talk after being on a ventilator. The doctor interviewed is optimistic about what this is teaching medical students and residents about their job profession and finishes the interview with his opinions about how the government response was complicated and lacking. However, at a societal level the interviewee states, the nation is handling the pandemic, well. -
11/10/2020
Kenneth and Wendy Moran Oral History, 2020/11/10
C19OH -
2020-08-21
Michael Chow Oral History, 2020/08/21
C19OH -
2020-04-02
Banner Health prepares for influx of patients amid COVID-19 pandemic
A press release from Banner Health announcing that they are "working diligently and deliberately to make sure we are best prepared to handle an influx of patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. We are monitoring capacity, resources and staffing in real-time, making adjustments to our emergency operations, when needed." -
2020-11-24
Banner Health virtual press conference transcript and video Chief Clinical Officer addresses COVID-19 response across six-state service area
Banner Health hosted a COVID-19 press conference with speaker Dr. Marjorie Bessel, chief clinical officer at Banner Health. Dr. Bessel addressed topics such as capacity, staffing, current treatments available, vaccine distribution and mitigation efforts. -
07/22/2021
COVID-19 interview with physician
Pritesh Patel, MD, speaks about what it was like to provide ongoing care for COVID-19 patients and families at Banner Estrella Medical Center in west Phoenix. -
07/22/2021
COVID-19 patient returns to Banner Estrella
Debbie Olsen, a former COVID-19 patient, returns to say thank you to the "life-saving'' doctors, nurses and staff who treated her for this life-threatening virus. -
12/02/2020
COVID-19 Dec. 2, 2020 press conference
Marjorie Bessel, MD, chief clinical officer at Banner Health, provides a system-wide update on Banner's response to the COVID-19 surges in many of the states it serves. -
12/23/2021
COVID-19 Dec. 23, 2020 press conference
Marjorie Bessel, MD, chief medical officer of Banner Health, provides an update about how the six-state healthcare system is handling teh COVID-19 surge. -
12/30/2021
COVID-19 Dec. 30, 2020 press conference
Marjorie Bessel, MD, chief clinical officer of Banner Health, gives an update on how the health system is dealing with the pandemic and the importance of masking up to contain the spread of COVID-19. -
01/06/2021
COVID-19 Jan. 6, 2021 press conference
Marjorie Bessel, MD, chief clinical officer of Banner Health, gives an update on how the health care system is managing the COVID-19 surge in six states. -
2020-06-30
"We're leaving the hospital sometimes in tears": Arizona doctors worry as ICUs fill
(PHOENIX) -- Hospitals in Arizona are seeing an intense wave of new coronavirus cases, doctors at the Banner University Medical Center in Phoenix told ABC News on Monday, and it is filling up their intensive care units and pushing their nurses to the brink. -
2021-05-24
A Memoir of 2020-2021: How COVID-19 Affected the Lifestyle of a High school Student
The PDF tells the story of my life over the years from 2020-2021. It explains how covid affected the lifestyle of a high school student, with many other added details. -
2021-05-01
INDIA DYING
This is a breakdown of facts and my opinions on the India Coronavirus situation. -
2021-02-04
The Emotional Toll of the Loss of Smell
When weighing the various outcomes of contracting Covid-19, the loss of smell seemed rather low on the list. Smell always ranked rather low in the hierarchy of the five senses. Sense of smell was always the go to answer in the childhood ice breaker “if you had to lose one of your five senses, which would you choose and why?” The lowly sense of smell seemed the least important. And in the Covid-19 experience, this strange symptom seemed to pale in comparison with being put on a ventilator, going in a coma, or losing one’s life. However, this article on the emotional impact of losing one’s sense of smell is a reminder that the aftermath of Covid-19, and the very ability to smell, is more complicated than one could imagine. As numerous survivors attest, the loss of smell is disorienting and depressing. It is not simply the inability to taste food, or coping with ordinary smells that are now offensive. Scents are tied to our memories, and many survivors relate losing their sense of smell to losing their sense of self. As this article explains, many survivors are turning to smell training in hopes of regaining a part of themselves that many of us never gave a second thought to prior to this pandemic. -
2021-02-02
Holding her Baby for the First Time
As a mother of two, two thoughts have plagued the darkest corners of my mind for the past ten months: “I can’t let anything happen to the kids” and “what would happen if something happened to me?” The thoughts terrify me so much I can’t even say them aloud. So, to read about pregnant women trying to safely bring life into the world amidst the pandemic is an unbearable thought. The thought of being pregnant right now is truly terrifying, so this article struck a deep chord when I read it. A woman at the very end of her pregnancy contracted Covid-19, gave birth while unconscious, and then spent 75 days on oxygen and a ventilator. Her baby was born November 4, and just this past week, on January 27, she was able to hold her for the first time. Seeing the pictures of this mom, who I don’t know and will never meet, with her baby is a wonderful moment of hope. Clearly this family has a long road ahead, as the mom is still weak and on oxygen. However, when you see the pictures of them together, the oxygen mask seems to disappear and all I see is a mother’s love and true joy. A story of survival, and a glimmer of hope in a year that has been bleak. -
2020-07-20
They Survived: Beating COVID-19 After 70
When Covid-19 cases began making the news in America, the stories were centered around nursing homes, where the population seemed especially susceptible. Day after day more reports of Covid-19 infecting and killing numerous patients and residents within these facilities painted a dire picture. And it is still dire. However, there are individuals who, despite their advanced age, survived Covid-19. This article from the AARP highlights four individuals in their 70s and 80s who suffered through serious cases involving long hospital stays and ventilators that made it through this virus. An interesting aspect of this article is every person interviewed ends their section by chastising people going out to restaurants, bars, and not wearing masks. Though they survived, they used this platform to try and convey the severity of the situation. As an 80-year-old female survivor from New York stated “This is not the flu. This is something that wants to kill you. It saps your strength and makes you feel like you prefer to die. This disease is such an unknown quantity. I cannot understand why anyone would refuse to wear a mask. It's a pandemic!” Hopefully, people reading survivor stories such as these will make people reflect on the choices, they are making for themselves and their communities. -
2021-01-18
Stories of Resilience
As Covid-19 continues to rage and take lives, there are also the lucky ones that survive. This article shares the stories of 14 Covid-19 survivors. Though the people featured come from different age groups, races, socio-economic statuses, and geography, they all share the common experience of coming out on the other side of a lengthy hospital stay. The stories range from an infant who has spent most of his life in the hospital and has survived both a liver transplant and Covid-19, a woman who is now considered a “long hauler” with debilitating symptoms that plague her long after diagnosis, a nurse who caught the virus saying goodbye to own mother who was dying of Covid-19 and regrets nothing, a man who fought two weeks on a ventilator determined to live to see his daughter get married, and a couple who survived together and were able to celebrate their 70th wedding anniversary. These stories remind us of the seriousness of Covid-19, as one survivor states "This is not a joke. This is for real. Take it seriously. It can happen to anybody." However, these stories also remind us of the tenacity of the human spirit, the skills of the medical staff, and the hope that is still alive within this pandemic year. -
2021-01-27
The Symptoms
The symptoms of Covid 19 varied wildly from person to person. Some people's symptoms were so bad that they had to be put on a breathing machine or were fatal, while others had no symptoms or had a mild fever or cough. The virus attacks the lungs and respiratory system. People died because the virus made it so they couldn't breath. To most people, the virus isn't such a huge danger, but for a small number of people such as the elderly or people with underlying health conditions, it can be very deadly. -
2021-01-27
Losing Grandma
A week and a half ago was my grandmother's 90th birthday. I shared here about our family's disappointment at not getting to have a big party and instead visiting her at her window. Now she's in the ER, awaiting a transfer to hospice. It doesn't seem to be COVID, although the tests aren't back yet. No one knows what happened or why. There are no ICU beds available and resources in general are limited to investigate why a 90 year old woman who was fine 12 hours earlier is now unresponsive and on a ventilator. No one can go visit her. We're not sure if we will be able to visit her at the hospice. Grandma has had health scares before but nothing like this. Before we would be coordinating visitors and making sure someone was by to see her everyday, even if she was unconscious. Now we’re limited to the family group text as my aunt follows up with doctors by phone and relays information to the rest of us. She’s pulled through before but this time feels different. The doctors are all stretched so thin and resources are so limited that all the odds are against her. I used to take Grandma out at least once or twice a month. We’d go to a movie or just lunch. Maybe run some errands. I haven’t seen her without a window between us in nearly a year. I’m probably never going to get to hug her again. -
2020-10-30
“The Simple Rule That Could Keep COVID-19 Deaths Down” - The Atlantic Monthly
Aside from “flattening the curve” of infections, the longer one avoids contracting COVID-19 also ensures that one will have a higher survival rate. This observation was made by Sarah Zhang, a journalist writing for the Atlantic Monthly who has published several articles concerning the pandemic. In this particular article, Zhang briefly summarizes the reasons why it is better for one to get infected later than sooner, supporting each point with peer-reviewed research and statistical data. According to Zhang, one of the most important reasons why it is better to get infected later than earlier is that medical treatments of COVID-19 have been gradually improving since the pandemic began. For instance, ventilators were initially prescribed for most COVID-19 patients, but they were eventually reserved for extreme cases. Other, less invasive oxygen therapies have been prescribed for milder cases. Similarly, new drugs such as Dexamethasone have been prescribed to more patients as medical knowledge about COVID-19 gradually increased. These innovations are reflected in the slightly reduced death toll. However, Zhang reminds readers that despite these improvements in medical treatments, COVID-19 still has several confounding aspects. Furthermore, several experimental treatments and vaccines are still in testing phases, and will not be viable until well into 2021. -
2020-10-21
Arizona COVID-19 Cases Surging Again
Arizona is seeing a surge in its cases again as winter approaches. The state is nearing 1,000 new cases a day with hospitalizations and ventilator usage is increasing. -
2020-10-15
Sounds of Chronic Lung Disease
In January 2015, my mom got very sick and was in the hospital for 2 weeks, 3 days of which were in the ICU with a breathing tube. She was diagnosed with severe COPD and has required at-home oxygen ever since. Her disease has now progressed to end-stage. Last year, she received a non-invasive ventilator to use at night. A lot of people with COVID-19 have breathing problems even after recovering from the disease. Some of these people might have permanent lung damage and require at-home oxygen therapy and possibly non-invasive ventilators. The first recording is the sound of an oxygen machine. The second is the sound of the ventilator. At the end of the ventilator recording is the alarm that sounds when it does not detect any breathing. These sounds demonstrate the impact of COVID-19 has on its victims and the legacy it will leave behind long after the disease itself has gone away. -
2020-04-10
Grateful For An Injury
In early April of this year, I had driven to the oceanfront for a few hours of morning surfing. The weather the previous day created ideal swells. Growing up in and around the ocean, surfing has always been a way of life for me. After several sets and a few hours, I proceeded in to the beach and stepped on an embedded oyster shell. At first, it felt like a bad bruise, but it was a horrible gash on the bottom of my right foot. I knew after looking that I needed stitches. I wrapped my foot in a towel, limped off with my board, secured things as best I could, and drove myself to the nearest ER. I was checked in, placed in a room, etc. Since the wound was not bleeding profusely, my foot was placed in a basin of antibacterial solution. After the preliminaries of great care, I waited for the doctor. The door to my room was slightly cracked open, at least enough to hear much activity in the main ER area. And I waited. Over the next several hours, the ER became a flurry of chaos. But it was not what what I could see, but could hear with the door nearly closed. Multiple patients were brought in by ambulances with breathing difficulty. The rooms filled up and some stretchers started lining the halls. A nurse poked her masked face in every so often to ask how I was doing. As i waited, i learned that I was a low priority, and rightfully so. I was not dying, nor gasping for breath. I kept hearing "God! I can't breathe!" These were the sounds of the early pandemic in April. Male and female voices, struggling through broken sentences, vitally needing air under the acute distress of COVID infection. With nothing to read, and no phone (my beach excursions do not entail smartphones because of sand), I became increasingly aware of audible sensations and the suffering of others trying to breathe. Over the next few hours, I was overwhelmed with a sense of gratitude; not because of my injury, but because I could breathe. I knew my foot would be fine with some stitches and maybe a tetanus shot, and I was, wth some crutches later upon discharge. Yes, incomplete sentences imply breathing problems, but gasping and cursing, just the struggle to live for oxygen, is what the early pandemic taught me in the ER—to be grateful for just a foot injury and excellent medical care. I was not dying, but other patients were fighting acute lung infections. The news, especially during the early pandemic, gave us video of hospitals overwhelmed with critical patients and ventilators. But for me, it was the audible sensations from the door slightly open that conveyed a profound sense of the quiet insidiousness of COVID. Some infections only bring a fever. Some folks are infected and never know it due to lack of symptoms. Yet, it is the critical ones, those that cannot breathe, that can impart a perspective of gratitude to someone like me with a routine foot laceration. Retrospectively, I look back on this experience, my ER day, and recall those voices. I never saw those people struggling, but I did not have to see them to come away with gratitude for a simple surfing accident. Some of those patients were undoubtedly placed on a ventilator in the ICU, and perhaps their outcome was even worse. I ended up discharged to home. -
2020-03-31
Coronavirus shoppers
This comic shows how much of an impact the coronavirus had on grocery stores and shoppers. It also shows how people could have overreacted to the fact that they can't find toilet paper or foods like spaghetti sauce. The main focus of this comic though is the doctor who is looking at the other row of shelves. The shelves are labeled, "face masks," "test kits," and "ventilators." This shows how not only food was a shortage, but also very important medical supplies that were needed to keep people alive. This is important to me because it shows the different struggles between everyday necessities, and what people need to stay alive. -
04/08/2020
State Policies May Send People with Disabilities to the Back of the Line for Ventilators
An article by Liz Essley Whyte describing policies on medical rationing, state by state, and the efforts by disability advocacy groups to enforce equal access to lifesaving treatment. As disability rights activist Ari Ne’eman states in the article, ‘There is a long history of people with disabilities being devalued by the medical system. That’s why we have civil rights laws. We don’t have an exception in our country’s civil rights laws for clinical judgment. We don’t take it on trust.’ As Matthew Foster, an Alabama resident. says, ‘I have a right to live.’ -
2020-06-01
When the Highways Cleared
When quarantine started, and most people began to telework from home, my coworkers and I worked double time at our government logistics job. It is interesting how the type of supply demand reflected the current state of the mind that we had. First, people were requesting for hand sanitizer and masks, to protect against the virus. Then it was ventilators, to battle against the virus. Followed by mortuary affairs item, due to the inevitable and tragic result of the virus. But the most inspiring type of orders we received was the increasing amount of asks for cloth masks, as we began to learn the importance to protect one another and to slow the spread. Anyway, we had some long days at work, but it was rewarding, plus the traffic to work and back was nonexistent! Glad I could support and be a part of this crazy year of 2020! -
2020-05-05
Through Chinese Social Media -- 5
I’m a study-abroad student. Due to the virus, I had to stay at my home in New York. I got the update of the virus through Chinese social media, and I think it is really interesting. I’m going to share some posts from Chinese social media about the virus. The post is about that one of the temporary hospitals is going to close, which means the hope is coming. Through the post, I feel the persistence of those front line fighters. There are plenty of touching stories in the post. One of them brings his daughter's doll to the front line. They are also others' wives, husbands, mothers, children. These medical staff came to the frontline at the risk of infection, and their families were also worried, proud, and worried about them from afar. -
2020-05-01
The Danger of Being Essential
Everyone in the entire world has been affected in one way or another by the pandemic of COVID-19. The rapid spread and contagiousness of the virus has made the spread of the virus virtually impossible to contain, because of this, the virus has gone worldwide in a matter of months and has caused many casualties. My mother is a nurse working on the frontlines, and every day I am afraid for her. My family faces the constant fear of exposure. To protect the rest of the family, my mother has been quarantining herself on one side of the house and has been very careful about keeping clean and using disinfectants. I know that the work my mom does has taken a toll on her mental health lately. She seems more discouraged and less motivated than usual. Part of this is likely her isolation from her family, however, I think that working on the frontlines right now can be very stressful and I know that is it typical to lose faith in modern medicine at a time like this. My mother has mentioned how sad it is to see people on their deathbed, when there is nothing you can do to save them. She told me one of her patients was an elderly man who had no family except for his wife, and he could not contact her, and she could not visit him during his last hours of life. This made me realize how terrifying it can be to have the coronavirus. While I was discussing the virus with my mother, she told me about the supply shortages that many hospitals are experiencing at the moment. The main issue is with ventilators. Many coronavirus patients need to be put on a ventilator to facilitate their recovery, but without these machines, there are many more casualties. There is also a shortage in Tylenol and medical masks. Tylenol is used as a pyretic to reduce fever in patients and reduce pain from the symptoms. Medical masks are needed most in hospital settings because the healthcare providers need to be protected the most. Everyday Healthcare workers put their lives on the line by going to work and treating coronavirus patients, and every day they are helping to improve the statistics of the coronavirus pandemic. I worry for my mother every time she goes to work and pray that she stays safe and healthy despite the factors not in her favor. -
2020-04-08
Hidden Market
Today, unlike a week ago, the air was very clean and light. During the day I discovered that I ran out of cleaner and some food. Instead of going shopping with my family or friends I go alone. Limiting trips to the store has become normal for my parents and friends. Although I knew most of the supplies were out at some of the local markets I decided to call one of my friends. Using my cell phone I called my friend Malakar. Both of us talked about how we were laid off recently and didn't have much to do. We both discussed about how Mexico wasn't dealing with the pandemic very seriously. The president of Mexico gave a speech to reassure the public and remarked how they should treat it as a common cold. I remarked that Mexico has less ventilators for the sick than any given state in the U.S. Both of us sighed. Then I shared what I inferred. "If this keeps going until the summer the people in Mexico might come here for help." My friend shared the sentiment but also added that our borders would close long before the summer starts. During the summer temperatures in Arizona reach over one hundred ten degrees. If there are any surfaces outside the virus would be burned from the sun. He changed the subject to how the governmental loan for the small restaurant businesses are going to be in effect for 4/13/2020. Both of us agreed that we will have some money coming in from that and how the restaurants must employ us for seventy five percent of our regular hours or the loans must be repaid. After discussing what the next week would look like I asked him about any local markets I could find cleaners. Most of the paper goods and cleaning supplies were out at the local Food City and Fry's. Fortunately one of my friends pointed out a Halal Grocery store that had some cleaners and good bread still. Traveling to this store there was very little traffic. Most of their pita bread was gone but they still had some toilet paper. Most of the employees wore face masks and kept their distance. Inside there was a deli that had an assortment of fresh meats. Most of the prepacked food was still there. This place gives out punch cards if you're a regular customer. Inside there is also a restaurant that can make gyros and other lunch foods for a fair price. Thank goodness that there are reliable places like this in these trying times. -
2020-04-01
Ventilador mecánico
Rodolfo Ortiz shares his video about using a homemade ventilator. Shared on the Peruanos en Arizona (Oficial) Facebook page.