'You won't feel any of it, OK?' nurse reveals how she breaks the news to COVID patients that they have to be put on a ventilator - which many never wake up from

 

A traveling ICU nurse has revealed the heartbreaking conversation she has with COVID-19 patients before they are intubated and put on a ventilator - a terrifying scenario from which some people never wake up.

Savanna, who lives in Tennessee but is currently stationed at a hospital in New York City, shared a TikTok video of herself re-enacting how she tells patients with advanced coronavirus cases that they need to be intubated. 

'Every single day, I help someone's body fight off death with a huge team of others in the hospital,' the 28-year-old told BuzzFeed. 'I hope people take away that healthcare workers are here to help them.'

But at the same time, they need to understand that what may seem like a simple choice to not wear a mask on the subway could end a life and devastate a family,' she added. 'Small choices right now have big consequences.' 

Savannah, who is known as @thatICUnurse on TikTok, said she has seen people in their twenties, thirties, and forties die from the virus.  

Patients are intubated when they can't breathe on their own. During the medical procedure, a tube is inserted through the mouth and into the airway, so the person can be placed on a ventilator to assist with breathing. 

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In the early days of the pandemic, it was reported that more than 80 per cent of COVID patients who required a ventilator died, however by May 26, a study published by Critical Care Medicine stated that the number had fallen to 35.7 per cent. 

A doctor from Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center estimated in July that the mortality rate among ventilated COVID patients was between 30 and 50 per cent, the Washington Post reported.  

Savannah's video makes clear the terrifying prospect of being put on a ventilator, as the ICU re-enacts the process of explaining the treatment to a patient.  

In the video, Savannah is wearing full PPE, including a respirator mask and a face shield, as she leans over the camera as she would a patient in a hospital bed.  

Hey, Miss Smith? Hey, sweetie, it's your nurse. So you know the labs I've been drawing all night? Well, the last one didn't look very good, sweetie. The doctor wants to put you on a ventilator,' she says empathetically. 

After breaking the upsetting news, she quickly assures the patient that they are in good hands and won't feel any pain. 

'It's going to be OK. It's going to be alright. Do you want me to get your family on the phone so you can FaceTime them?' she asks. 

'OK, OK, we can do that. You want to know what it's going to be like? Well, I'm going to give you some nice medication, so that you can go to sleep, OK?'

'You're not going to feel any of it, and the doctor is going to put a tube down your throat to help you breathe. But you're going to be asleep. You won't feel any of it, OK?' she continues. 

'Don't worry I'm going to be right here with you the entire time, alright? I will be holding your hand. I'll be right here with you by your side.' 

In the caption, Savannah wrote: 'Unfortunately I have this conversation way too often.' 

The video has been viewed more than 575,000 times and received thousands of comments, a number of which were from TikTok users who have lost loved ones to COVID-19. 

'I spoke to my dad right before they put him on a ventilator,' one woman shared. 'He said, "Hey Tia, not feeling too good, see you later, I love you." He never woke up.'

'I will be forever grateful to the nurse who let me FaceTime my mama before she was ventilated, someone else wrote. 'Last time I got to hear her voice. Nurses are angels.' 

Another added: 'This. THIS is a nurse. THIS is the compassion and care that a nurse provides.'   

Savannah told BuzzFeed that she was inspired to share the video to educate both families whose loved ones have been put on a ventilator and people who still refuse to wear a mask or practice social distancing. 

'I also filmed it to let people know that we are still here, and still really care for their loved ones while they are in the hospital,' she explained. 

'We spend our whole day with this one life, trying to save them, forming bonds with them, and it breaks our heart for them to have to go through this alone.'

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