There is no such thing as an "economic patient." It is disgusting and offensive. Next thing people will be asking which patient the real ones or the economy.

Italy's statistics are very scary. Their health care personnel are dying. The country will have people taking care of people and trying to intubate those that need it. The country of Italy needs to take this time to talk to the people not just about staying home and away from infection but to the falling numbers of nurses and doctors.

Intubating a person is not easy and is achieved with an unconscious patient, either through anesthesia or patient condition. It is going to be difficult for average people to intubate, BUT, there are different intubation methods that is far less invasive than an endotracheal tube.

Average people can do this if they are visually trained. It takes skill and nerve to practice and master, but, this is the best option for people needing intubation without enough professional staff.

Laryngeal Mask Airway (click here)

The laryngeal mask airway (LMA) is a supraglottic airway device developed by British Anesthesiologist Dr. Archi Brain. It has been in use since 1988. Initially designed for use in the operating room as a method of elective ventilation, it is a good alternative to bag-valve-mask ventilation, freeing the hands of the provider with the benefit of less gastric distention. ^[1] Initially used primarily in the operating room setting, the LMA has more recently come into use in the emergency setting as an important accessory device for management of the difficult airway. ^[2, 3]...

I will place a picture here to know the difference.

This is the laryngeal mask airway (LMA). It goes into the mouth and down the throat to where the lungs receive air to the lungs, the larynx. The field for insertion should be sterile when at all possible, but, the patient only has to be intubated long enough to recover from the virus. If the field is not sterile the patient will probably need antibiotics following recovery to prevent any other kind of pneumonia from taking hold and making the patient sick again and quite possibly needing the ventilator again. The supplies and instructions should come from Italy's government that knows how to talk to the people to quickly instruct them.

This is an endotracheal tube and all the materials needed to insert it safely. It is highly invasive and the method above is not. This method needs a good deal of training and experience, the method above does not.

The TRICK to endotracheal tubes is KEEPING THEM IN PLACE once inserted. The above method tends to be more unstable in the hands of the naive. But it can be secured to stay in place with regular checking and reinforced taping. The method above is usually surgical and not applied to the long term. The endotracheal tubes are used for extended periods of time.

This is a method that can work for those that can save lives and monitor the patient and maintain tube placement.

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