“In the setting of critical COVID-19 illness, SARS-CoV-2 infection often results in severe pneumonia and hypoxemia with many patients developing acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)… Several interventions for ARDS have been evaluated over the last two decades. In particular, prone positioning is one of few therapeutic interventions for patients with severe ARDS that has demonstrated improved oxygenation and a survival benefit. Awake prone positioning outside of the intensive care unit (ICU) is safe and may decrease respiratory rate and improve oxygenation with early application potentially delaying need for intubation in patients with COVID-19… In the ICU setting, prone positioning of patients receiving non-invasive ventilation or high-flow nasal canula, with or without sedation, may also be beneficial. Physiologically, prone positioning may improve matching of ventilation and perfusion, but studies have not linked physiologic changes to clinical outcomes, especially in COVID-19.”
–Shelhamer M, Wesson PD, Solari IL, et al. Prone positioning in moderate to severe acute respiratory distress syndrome due to COVID-19: A cohort study and analysis of physiology. Preprint. Res Sq. 2020;rs.3.rs-56281. Published 2020 Aug 17. doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-56281/v1
Awkward Turtle 