COVID-19 patients benefit from new use of existing respiratory treatment
The Respiratory Team at Royal Derby Hospital have now discharged nine COVID-19 patients from the wards after being treated with an innovative form of non-invasive ventilation.
Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) treatment helps to improve the oxygen levels in patients with respiratory failure without the need to invasively ventilate them such as in Intensive Care.
CPAP is an established treatment for respiratory conditions across the Trust, but its utilisation to treat viral pneumonia is a new development, along with the creation of a CPAP ward at Royal Derby Hospital.
This treatment was initially rolled out for COVID-19 patients on Ward 404 and has now been expanded to all the respiratory wards, giving capacity to treat up to 24 patients.
Five patients have been discharged from Ward 404, including Philip Matkin from Mickleover (pictured above), with a further three patients discharged from Ward 402 and one from Ward 403 after being treated with CPAP. 
Dr Bhavesh Popat, Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, representing the whole respiratory team said: “All of these patients were critically unwell with COVID-19 related pneumonia and in these cases, we were successfully able to avoid the need for invasive mechanical ventilation in Intensive Care.
“Setting up this unit, within a matter of weeks, outside Critical Care, is a testimony to the hard work and dedication of the Respiratory Team.”
Dr Chris Whale, Divisional Medical Director for Medicine and Consultant in Respiratory Medicine, said: "Our Intensive Care and Respiratory teams have been managing significant numbers of critically unwell patients with COVID-19 over recent weeks, and effective collaborative working between these two areas has been incredibly important in delivering excellent care.
“The staff in both areas have, like many other clinical teams, had to adapt quickly and whilst under great pressure, and the level of professionalism within the multi-disciplinary teams has been inspiring."
Dr Magnus Harrison, Executive Medical Director, visited the ward to see the work first-hand recently, and said: “This is fantastic work by everyone involved. It’s wonderful to see teams from two areas combining their expertise to ensure that we can provide innovative treatment and high quality of care during this time.”