I was a critical care nurse for years. Patients are routinely sedated when on a ventilator, because the endotracheal tube (ET tube) which goes through your mouth to the lungs is terribly uncomfortable and conscious unrestrained patients would pull it out. The fact that the ventilator was 100% and is now down to 50% is progress. Patients are weaned off the ventilator that way. I don’t know what’s going on with this particular young man, but thought I’d share what I know about ventilator use.
Thanks. I was just curious why such a steep diffusion gradient across the lungs was necessary. The ventilator takes care of the mechanics of breathing (or lack thereof) but why the hyperbaric environment? Reduced O2/CO2 exchange due to damaged lung tissue?