“If someone is significantly hypoxic a ventilator is the only option”
If the hypoxia were caused by damage to red blood cells, wouldn’t a transfusion of healthy red blood cells help?
first it’s not. a used by damage to the red blood cells. Second volume is the worst thing you can give these patients it causes respiratory failure to worsen and red blood cells are the most potent volume expander we have. Third a blood transfusion causes an inflammatory response in people that already have way too much inflammation going on. Fourth if you look at all people who get blood transfusions for any reason their 30 day and 1 year mortality are higher than people in similar situations that did not get blood transfusions. The proper response to someone hyooxic on maximal nasal oxygen is to intubation them and put them on a ventilator