So cheer up, fellow oldies!
YOUR LIFE STORY (If you go on a ventilator) * (...and if you’re a man,) (...and if your problem is something other than coronavirus,) (...and it’s data from 1993,) (...and coronavirus may be worse than your average acute respiratory failure bug,) (...and ventilators are better today than in '93.) But HEY, it’s better than no info at all! Buckle up, this ride is about to begin. You are super critical (very low blood oxygen levels, pressurized oxygen not working) so… You get intubated with a high-tech ventilator , mechanically assisted breathing. You have a 62% chance of living long enough to have the tube removed and be “weaned” from the ventilator. [38% chance of dying, pre-weaning] If you lived, you now have a 46% chance of living until they release you from ICU into the general hospital population. If you made it through that , things are looking up. You have a 43% chance of living until you are discharged. THEN you h...