COVID 19 AnMach [COVID-19]
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluation of the impact of using anaesthetic machines for ventilation on COVID-19 patients and professionals. A mixed methods study.
IRAS ID
285642
Contact name
Agnieszka Walecka
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust
Eudract number
2020-000936-23
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 4 months, 16 days
Research summary
The COVID-19 pandemic dramatically increased the demand for the ventilator beds in the United Kingdom (UK), generating, at the same time, Intensive Therapy Unit (ITU) ventilators shortages. Anaesthetic machines (AnMach) have been commonly used as a solution to supplement ventilator capacity. The use of AnMach as a long-term ventilator is considered an off-label use but emergency use of these devices is justified when there is no available alternative because the benefits outweigh the risks This occurred at the Royal Free Hospital (RF), London, in April and May 2020.
This study aims to explore the clinical outcome of patients admitted to specific wards at RF in April and May 2020, identify possible adverse events related to the use of AnMach as ventilators, and capture the experience of staff using unfamiliar equipment and managing non typical cases. The results of our study will potentially allow us to identify additional risks of using AnMach as ITU ventilators rather than the ones published in the guidelines and to recognise hidden areas for improvement of care and staff support to address.REC name
N/A
REC reference
N/A