Although the number of patients being shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at various designated COVID-19 hospitals is on the rise, not many of them seem to require ventilator support.

Ever since the first COVID-19 case was reported in the State on March 9, only 35 of the 8,281 positive patients have required ventilator support. As on Friday, while 78 COVID-19 patients were being treated in ICUs, eight were on ventilator support.

According to ICU data collated by the State’s Critical Care Support Unit (CCSU), only 0.8% of the 1,000 ventilators available in the State are in use.

The highest number of ICU admissions are in Bengaluru, with 0.75% of the 265 ventilators available occupied. In Kalaburagi, although 12 patients are being treated in ICU, the ventilator occupancy is zero.

K.V. Trilok Chandra, who heads the CCSU, said that so far not more than 0.4% of the total positive patients have required ventilator support. “Ventilators are required at a stage when saturation starts dropping below 94% and when patients develop acute respiratory disease syndrome (ARDS). Although ICU admissions are on the rise, most of the patients are on high-flow nasal oxygen,” he said.

C.N. Manjunath, director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, who is the nodal officer for labs and testing in the State’s COVID-19 task force, said the need of the hour was more well-equipped ICU beds.

“As of now, the average ventilator occupancy in the State is 0.8% of the available ventilators. The need to connect a patient to a ventilator arises when the patient’s respiratory rate becomes fast with falling oxygen saturation. While high-flow nasal oxygen followed by non-invasive ventilation is first given to any patient who requires mechanical ventilation, ventilator support is the last option, and this is followed as a matter of protocol and strategy of treatment. However, not all those who are connected to a ventilator survive,” he said.

Admitting that the Health Department’s plan to procure 1,500 ventilators has been delayed, Dr. Manjunath said, “The Centre has promised to give around 300 ventilators to the State. There is a supply shortage because the functioning of manufacturing units has been hit and it has also become difficult to import.”

“Well-equipped ICU facilities with round-the-clock availability of doctors and good nursing staff is what we need most now. The focus should be on strengthening emergency services and training technical staff in using ventilators,” he added.