Prone position in patients in spontaneous ventilation with respiratory failure by COVID-19: case report

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: The Prone Position (PP) is generally used in cases of Acute Respiratory Insufficiency (IRPA), in patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) and in invasive mechanical ventilation, in order to improve oxygenation, but it can be used useful in cases of mild IRPA, using the need for invasive mechanical ventilation and complications associated with the ventilator. OBJECTIVES: To describe or report the case of using the prone position (PP) in patients with spontaneous ventilation with mild respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19. METHODS: this is a case of a patient diagnosed with COVID-19, with an IRPA level, with dyspnea, cough, hypoxemia and desaturation, which includes treatment techniques that use a prone position protocol for two hours, twice a day for the entire hospital stay. RESULTS: The patient presented hypoxemia (SpO2 -94% and PO2- 62.9), associated with a food (Borg 6) on admission, having received improvements in food (Borg 4) and 96% saturation in pulse oximetry after 24 hours from the beginning of the protocol and after 48 hours it improves the gasometric and SpO2 and PaO2 values of 96.5% and 80.6 mmHg, respectively. CONCLUSION: The prone position in patients on spontaneous ventilation, with respiratory failure secondary to COVID-19 is safe and can be used as adjunctive therapy to treatment in this patient profile.