Ventilation via helmet is being used in European hospitals to treat COVID-19 patients, according to a doctor at a university hospital in Lithuania.
Dr. Gintautas Kekstas confirmed the use of helmets to provide ventilation to patients at Vilnius University Hospital Santariškių Klinikos in Vilnius, Lithuania. Dr. Kekstas is a director and works in the Intensive Care Unit.
Kekstas said the Vilnius hospital has enough helmets, and production isn’t an issue right now.
He also said helmets are highly used in Europe and specifically mentioned Italy, Germany and England.
The helmets were made by UAB Intersurgical in Lithuania
Helmet-based ventilation is a noninvasive alternative to intubation to help patients in respiratory distress. A three-year clinical trial at the University of Chicago Medical Intensive Care Unit has shown noninvasive ventilation (NIV) via helmet is more effective than using a mask and results in better outcomes for patients who improve faster, spend less time in the ICU or hospital, and experienced lower mortality rates.