WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.120 Welcome to the Light Keepers podcast. I'm Clayton 00:00:03.120 --> 00:00:05.339 Vandiver, your Light Keeper, with a show dedicated 00:00:05.339 --> 00:00:08.140 to everyone who wants to get the most quality 00:00:08.140 --> 00:00:11.560 out of life that they can. My co -host, as always, 00:00:11.740 --> 00:00:14.259 Charlene, our very own licensed clinical social 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:17.039 worker, certified in the state of Florida, joining 00:00:17.039 --> 00:00:21.960 the conversation this week about intubation versus 00:00:21.960 --> 00:00:27.000 ventilation. And so much more on this episode 00:00:27.000 --> 00:00:58.729 of the Light Keepers Podcast. Before we start, 00:00:58.829 --> 00:01:00.890 leave your questions or comments below. We love 00:01:00.890 --> 00:01:02.950 to hear from you. Questions this week will be 00:01:02.950 --> 00:01:05.189 answered during our next show that appears online 00:01:05.189 --> 00:01:09.469 every Wednesday evening at 7 p .m. Eastern. The 00:01:09.469 --> 00:01:12.090 Light Keepers podcast is an exclusive production 00:01:12.090 --> 00:01:14.909 of A Guiding Light Incorporated. We'll tell you 00:01:14.909 --> 00:01:16.609 a little bit more about A Guiding Light at the 00:01:16.609 --> 00:01:19.170 end of the podcast. But we don't have much time, 00:01:19.189 --> 00:01:21.090 so let's get right into this week's conversation 00:01:21.090 --> 00:01:26.189 about intubation versus ventilation. What in 00:01:26.189 --> 00:01:30.019 the world are they? Doesn't it just make you 00:01:30.019 --> 00:01:31.719 feel all warm and fuzzy thinking about it? Oh 00:01:31.719 --> 00:01:35.420 my goodness. Yeah, no, not at all. Yeah, it feels 00:01:35.420 --> 00:01:39.280 a little bit invasive just hearing it. Tell me 00:01:39.280 --> 00:01:41.719 what they are. Okay. Let's start with intubation. 00:01:42.140 --> 00:01:46.439 So intubation is actually a very common procedure 00:01:46.439 --> 00:01:49.659 that anyone who has ever been put under for a 00:01:49.659 --> 00:01:51.819 surgical procedure has had done to them, whether 00:01:51.819 --> 00:01:56.140 they remember it or not. Intubation is very simply 00:01:56.140 --> 00:02:01.090 where a tube is placed down the throat. You'll 00:02:01.090 --> 00:02:03.370 hear it referred to in the emergency room or 00:02:03.370 --> 00:02:06.709 in the medical field as protecting the airway. 00:02:06.849 --> 00:02:10.189 And basically it's a protective measure so that 00:02:10.189 --> 00:02:13.210 if while you're unconscious you become unable 00:02:13.210 --> 00:02:16.990 to breathe, they don't waste valuable time trying 00:02:16.990 --> 00:02:20.250 to get an airway open. The tube is already there. 00:02:20.349 --> 00:02:22.729 All they have to do is hook it up to oxygen and 00:02:22.729 --> 00:02:26.009 you're getting air. So it's more of a preventive 00:02:26.009 --> 00:02:29.030 measure, I guess. It's a protective measure. 00:02:29.229 --> 00:02:33.409 Okay. What is the likelihood that your throat 00:02:33.409 --> 00:02:36.669 might collapse or that airway might collapse 00:02:36.669 --> 00:02:38.990 during an operation? It's entirely dependent 00:02:38.990 --> 00:02:42.530 on the procedure. For example, if you're going 00:02:42.530 --> 00:02:46.229 in for a hernia repair and you're being put under, 00:02:46.370 --> 00:02:48.569 odds are you're not going to need to be hooked 00:02:48.569 --> 00:02:50.569 up to the oxygen, but they're going to intubate 00:02:50.569 --> 00:02:53.310 you anyway just to be on the safe side. Now, 00:02:53.370 --> 00:02:56.930 if you're going in for open heart surgery and... 00:02:57.800 --> 00:03:01.740 You code on the table. Guess what? They're probably 00:03:01.740 --> 00:03:04.259 going to hook you up to oxygen to make sure that 00:03:04.259 --> 00:03:05.699 you're breathing and you don't have to do it 00:03:05.699 --> 00:03:08.740 on your own. That's a very good idea then. Absolutely. 00:03:09.139 --> 00:03:11.360 Yeah. Absolutely. Well, then what is ventilation? 00:03:11.879 --> 00:03:16.120 So ventilation is when someone is not able to 00:03:16.120 --> 00:03:19.479 breathe on their own and that tube that's going 00:03:19.479 --> 00:03:21.560 down the throat, the other end of it that comes 00:03:21.560 --> 00:03:24.219 out is connected to a machine that pushes air 00:03:24.219 --> 00:03:26.759 in and out of the lungs. So the machine is doing 00:03:26.759 --> 00:03:33.039 the breathing. Okay. Well, I remember back in 00:03:33.039 --> 00:03:36.020 many, many years ago hearing about iron lungs 00:03:36.020 --> 00:03:40.219 and breathing things. Is that sort of what I 00:03:40.219 --> 00:03:46.060 was hearing about back then? I don't know. Shows 00:03:46.060 --> 00:03:49.680 how old I am. Okay. That one, I don't know. But 00:03:49.680 --> 00:03:52.620 I can tell you that public knowledge of ventilators 00:03:52.620 --> 00:03:56.319 really came into its own with COVID. Okay. Because 00:03:56.319 --> 00:03:59.460 with COVID. People were not breathing on their 00:03:59.460 --> 00:04:02.159 own as easily and challenging. Exactly. Okay. 00:04:02.199 --> 00:04:05.060 Exactly. So those were actually helping them 00:04:05.060 --> 00:04:07.280 maintain their breathing and keeping the airways 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:10.060 open. And there's a few different ways to think 00:04:10.060 --> 00:04:13.319 about it. A lot of times people think that someone 00:04:13.319 --> 00:04:16.660 who needs. that ventilator support they're not 00:04:16.660 --> 00:04:18.660 breathing on their own at all and that may not 00:04:18.660 --> 00:04:23.300 be the case like with kovat you have people who 00:04:23.300 --> 00:04:26.879 have been worn down by the virus they're exhausted 00:04:26.879 --> 00:04:29.899 they don't have the energy to take a full breath 00:04:29.899 --> 00:04:32.620 and so they're breathing but it's shallow and 00:04:32.620 --> 00:04:35.060 they're not getting enough oxygen for the body 00:04:35.060 --> 00:04:38.819 to be able to heal and so what happens is they're 00:04:38.819 --> 00:04:43.689 intubated the tube is placed okay That tube is 00:04:43.689 --> 00:04:46.829 then connected to the ventilator. The machine 00:04:46.829 --> 00:04:49.029 starts pushing and pulling air in and out of 00:04:49.029 --> 00:04:51.069 the person's lungs. They're no longer having 00:04:51.069 --> 00:04:53.389 to breathe on their own. That machine is doing 00:04:53.389 --> 00:04:55.990 it for them, which is allowing their body to 00:04:55.990 --> 00:04:59.810 rest and to take a break from having to do that. 00:04:59.990 --> 00:05:02.550 So they're not working as hard to breathe. They 00:05:02.550 --> 00:05:05.029 can put their energy more toward recuperating 00:05:05.029 --> 00:05:08.089 in other ways. So having ventilator support can 00:05:08.089 --> 00:05:13.470 be a recuperative process. Or it can be a means 00:05:13.470 --> 00:05:16.850 of life support. For example, if you have someone 00:05:16.850 --> 00:05:21.790 who was in a major accident and they're now paralyzed 00:05:21.790 --> 00:05:25.949 from the neck down, they may not have the, let 00:05:25.949 --> 00:05:28.209 me see if I can pronounce this right, the diaphragmatic 00:05:28.209 --> 00:05:32.189 control to be able to breathe on their own, in 00:05:32.189 --> 00:05:35.250 which case that ventilator is going to be required 00:05:35.250 --> 00:05:39.610 for them to be able to live. I see. Diaphragmatic. 00:05:40.490 --> 00:05:44.009 That's a $5 word. You can win Scrabble with that 00:05:44.009 --> 00:05:46.829 one. I bet you. I wouldn't have that many tiles. 00:05:47.470 --> 00:05:51.029 Well, do you have a choice in whether you're 00:05:51.029 --> 00:05:54.209 intubated or ventilated, or is that something 00:05:54.209 --> 00:05:57.769 that's purely medical personnel chosen for the 00:05:57.769 --> 00:06:02.199 applicability? So in previous episodes, we've 00:06:02.199 --> 00:06:05.759 talked a lot about advanced directives and making 00:06:05.759 --> 00:06:07.980 sure that your family knows what your wishes 00:06:07.980 --> 00:06:10.899 are. If you were to be in a situation where you 00:06:10.899 --> 00:06:13.660 needed life support, well, this is one of those 00:06:13.660 --> 00:06:16.540 life support interventions. Because if you are 00:06:16.540 --> 00:06:19.779 not responsive, which by the way, most of the 00:06:19.779 --> 00:06:22.600 time when someone is put on a ventilator, they're 00:06:22.600 --> 00:06:25.000 kept sedated because as I'm sure you can tell, 00:06:25.019 --> 00:06:28.839 it does not sound very comfortable. Okay. But 00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:31.339 the point is, is if you're unconscious and you 00:06:31.339 --> 00:06:35.480 become unable to breathe on your own, guess who's 00:06:35.480 --> 00:06:37.040 going to make the decision of whether or not 00:06:37.040 --> 00:06:41.100 you get put on a machine? Your family. Really? 00:06:41.139 --> 00:06:46.180 Yes. And that's if. You're declining slowly enough 00:06:46.180 --> 00:06:48.500 that the doctors can give them that choice. Now 00:06:48.500 --> 00:06:50.819 we're talking about ventilator. Ventilator. Ventilator, 00:06:50.899 --> 00:06:54.959 okay. If you crash, if you go from perfectly 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:59.060 fine to I'm not able to breathe, what's going 00:06:59.060 --> 00:07:03.220 to happen is whether you're awake or not, the 00:07:03.220 --> 00:07:06.060 doctors are going to ventilate first and ask 00:07:06.060 --> 00:07:09.720 questions later. Again, as we've spoken many 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:12.779 times, they always look to preserve life, save 00:07:12.779 --> 00:07:15.600 life, do the measures that are necessary. So 00:07:15.600 --> 00:07:18.560 this is the sort of thing, how would this fit 00:07:18.560 --> 00:07:23.040 into your advanced directives? At what time would 00:07:23.040 --> 00:07:26.779 you make choices or identify intubation or ventilation? 00:07:27.459 --> 00:07:30.939 So contrary to popular belief, the best time 00:07:30.939 --> 00:07:32.920 to make these kind of decisions is when you're 00:07:32.920 --> 00:07:36.459 perfectly healthy. Oh. Because you don't want 00:07:36.459 --> 00:07:40.310 to be... in the crisis having to make this decision. 00:07:40.449 --> 00:07:42.730 And you certainly don't want to be the one unconscious 00:07:42.730 --> 00:07:45.269 in the hospital bed with your family making this 00:07:45.269 --> 00:07:47.930 decision for you. Of course. This is something 00:07:47.930 --> 00:07:49.970 you want to have already thought about ahead 00:07:49.970 --> 00:07:52.949 of time. And for some people, that's easy enough 00:07:52.949 --> 00:07:56.470 to do. If you have someone who has COPD or lung 00:07:56.470 --> 00:08:01.709 cancer or an illness like that, they've thought 00:08:01.709 --> 00:08:03.970 about that loss of oxygen. They've thought about 00:08:03.970 --> 00:08:07.649 what they want most of the time. But if you have 00:08:07.649 --> 00:08:12.310 someone who maybe has never had a situation where 00:08:12.310 --> 00:08:16.050 they've had to be intubated and ventilated, they 00:08:16.050 --> 00:08:19.810 haven't given it a lot of thought. And it's an 00:08:19.810 --> 00:08:24.490 important thing to give thought to whether or 00:08:24.490 --> 00:08:27.129 not you want to be hooked up to a machine because 00:08:27.129 --> 00:08:30.629 that machine will change your life. Not only 00:08:30.629 --> 00:08:33.919 will it decide. whether or not you live, if you're 00:08:33.919 --> 00:08:36.620 completely unable to breathe on your own, but 00:08:36.620 --> 00:08:39.019 it's also going to decide where you live. Because 00:08:39.019 --> 00:08:43.460 if you live with mechanical ventilation, most 00:08:43.460 --> 00:08:46.240 of the time that cannot be done in the home setting. 00:08:46.340 --> 00:08:48.639 You're going to be in a facility. Because that's 00:08:48.639 --> 00:08:51.940 a machine that is not only... Has to be maintained. 00:08:52.379 --> 00:08:55.899 And it's sort of cost prohibitive to be a portable 00:08:55.899 --> 00:08:59.059 type unit. It doesn't work that way. No, it doesn't 00:08:59.059 --> 00:09:03.710 work that way. Wow. So you do have some choices 00:09:03.710 --> 00:09:07.649 ahead of time. Ahead of time. And that can determine 00:09:07.649 --> 00:09:10.090 the choices that your medical team will be able 00:09:10.090 --> 00:09:14.750 to make, hopefully. But you should express those, 00:09:14.850 --> 00:09:17.289 as we've said many times, to your family members, 00:09:17.450 --> 00:09:20.090 to your medical team. You should have those written 00:09:20.090 --> 00:09:23.360 out. Correct. It's important to not just have 00:09:23.360 --> 00:09:26.519 them in writing. One of my biggest pet peeves, 00:09:26.539 --> 00:09:29.100 and I cannot stress this enough. I know I've 00:09:29.100 --> 00:09:31.700 gone into this. A social worker with a pet peeve. 00:09:31.700 --> 00:09:33.740 Imagine that. Oh, I know I've gone into this 00:09:33.740 --> 00:09:36.820 multiple times on previous episodes, but so many 00:09:36.820 --> 00:09:39.299 times I've worked with people to get their advance 00:09:39.299 --> 00:09:42.399 directives written down, and they get the documents. 00:09:42.679 --> 00:09:44.080 And do you know what they do with them? What 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:45.899 do they do? They put them in the file cabinet, 00:09:45.899 --> 00:09:48.710 and nobody knows they have them. Oh, no. And 00:09:48.710 --> 00:09:51.070 so then when they get into a medical crisis, 00:09:51.169 --> 00:09:54.289 after the crisis is over, you have family members 00:09:54.289 --> 00:09:56.250 going through the important documents and going, 00:09:56.350 --> 00:10:00.809 oh, wait, look, mom had papers. And it doesn't 00:10:00.809 --> 00:10:05.009 do anybody any good. If you have those documents, 00:10:05.269 --> 00:10:08.149 if you know what you want, don't keep them locked 00:10:08.149 --> 00:10:09.610 in the fog cabinet. Where's the best place to 00:10:09.610 --> 00:10:12.929 put them? The best place to put them is make 00:10:12.929 --> 00:10:15.350 a copy, first of all. Don't ever give away your 00:10:15.350 --> 00:10:18.980 originals. Okay, that's good. Make a copy. Give 00:10:18.980 --> 00:10:21.980 a copy to all of your loved ones who are involved 00:10:21.980 --> 00:10:24.899 in the decision -making process. Give a copy 00:10:24.899 --> 00:10:27.480 to your doctor so that it's a part of your medical 00:10:27.480 --> 00:10:31.000 chart. That's a great idea. If you know you're 00:10:31.000 --> 00:10:33.879 going to wind up at a particular hospital and 00:10:33.879 --> 00:10:36.500 you've been a patient there, provide them with 00:10:36.500 --> 00:10:38.899 a copy of this. So if you have specialists that 00:10:38.899 --> 00:10:41.480 have been seeing you for whatever, make sure 00:10:41.480 --> 00:10:45.419 they have a copy of it on file. I'm actually 00:10:45.419 --> 00:10:48.419 hearing an episode of a very popular talk show 00:10:48.419 --> 00:10:50.960 and you get a copy and you get a copy and you 00:10:50.960 --> 00:10:54.320 get a copy. But that's good advice to make sure 00:10:54.320 --> 00:10:57.139 that there isn't just one and it isn't hidden. 00:10:57.340 --> 00:11:00.620 Correct. And it isn't filed away. Some people 00:11:00.620 --> 00:11:04.120 have their attorneys draw up papers and important 00:11:04.120 --> 00:11:07.000 documents and then leave them on file with those 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:11.580 attorneys. your family may not know you've ever 00:11:11.580 --> 00:11:13.639 done business with that attorney. Absolutely. 00:11:13.960 --> 00:11:16.580 That may never be known, and the attorney may 00:11:16.580 --> 00:11:20.039 contact your family long after you're gone and 00:11:20.039 --> 00:11:23.440 say, oh, by the way, I know that you've had a 00:11:23.440 --> 00:11:25.299 loss. I'm sorry for your loss. Here are some 00:11:25.299 --> 00:11:27.419 papers they left with me. It's a little late. 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:29.799 And, you know, it's a common thing, especially 00:11:29.799 --> 00:11:33.179 with our older population. They go through these. 00:11:33.850 --> 00:11:36.289 practices of preserving things you know and they 00:11:36.289 --> 00:11:39.570 go through the the expense and the hassle of 00:11:39.570 --> 00:11:44.850 creating a trust and on page 13 of this 17 page 00:11:44.850 --> 00:11:47.470 document here's your medical advance directive 00:11:47.470 --> 00:11:49.950 and nobody knows it's there because they're not 00:11:49.950 --> 00:11:51.970 going to read through the first 12 pages to get 00:11:51.970 --> 00:11:55.129 to page number 13 and you're not going to provide 00:11:55.129 --> 00:11:58.649 the whole some odd page document to your doctor 00:11:58.649 --> 00:12:01.590 to keep on file but what you do need to do is 00:12:01.590 --> 00:12:04.950 to make a copy of those few pages and make sure 00:12:04.950 --> 00:12:07.029 that they're on file with your medical professional. 00:12:07.210 --> 00:12:10.590 That is great advice. That is absolutely great 00:12:10.590 --> 00:12:12.629 advice. And of course, all of this is a highly 00:12:12.629 --> 00:12:15.970 personal choice. No conversation that we have. 00:12:16.600 --> 00:12:19.460 on the Light Keepers podcast should ever take 00:12:19.460 --> 00:12:23.039 the place of your own medical care team or other 00:12:23.039 --> 00:12:25.879 professional advisor who should always be consulted 00:12:25.879 --> 00:12:29.860 by you on your specific situational needs. And 00:12:29.860 --> 00:12:31.820 it's always good to be willing to talk about 00:12:31.820 --> 00:12:35.059 quality of life because every single one of us 00:12:35.059 --> 00:12:38.320 will face some of these issues someday. either 00:12:38.320 --> 00:12:41.120 not prepared at all or very well prepared indeed 00:12:41.120 --> 00:12:44.379 from joining us here on the Light Keepers Podcast. 00:12:45.080 --> 00:12:47.940 The Light Keepers Podcast is an exclusive production 00:12:47.940 --> 00:12:50.440 of Animation Studios and is brought to you by 00:12:50.440 --> 00:12:53.840 A Guiding Light, a 501c3 nonprofit organization 00:12:53.840 --> 00:12:57.980 dedicated to education and information that allows 00:12:57.980 --> 00:13:01.000 informed preparation for living the very best 00:13:01.000 --> 00:13:04.179 life possible. The mission of A Guiding Light 00:13:04.179 --> 00:13:07.299 is to provide education for professionals and 00:13:07.299 --> 00:13:10.120 information for everyone else about life planning, 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:13.279 available guidance, and counseling that helps 00:13:13.279 --> 00:13:16.059 individuals and their family navigate options 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:18.980 that improve the quality of their remaining days. 00:13:19.419 --> 00:13:22.299 The organization is committed to training professionals 00:13:22.299 --> 00:13:25.460 through scholarship grants when needed, who will 00:13:25.460 --> 00:13:29.100 help you find the very best information and options 00:13:29.100 --> 00:13:31.519 to meet your planning needs that are available 00:13:31.519 --> 00:13:34.179 in your area so you can be aware of your choices, 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:38.450 confident in your decisions, and at peace that 00:13:38.450 --> 00:13:41.649 you've made the very best decisions to live life 00:13:41.649 --> 00:13:45.049 on your own terms. Visit the website at a guiding 00:13:45.049 --> 00:13:47.870 light .org or to make a tax deductible contribution 00:13:47.870 --> 00:13:50.309 that helps others find the information and resources 00:13:50.309 --> 00:13:53.470 that they need. Please send your check to the 00:13:53.470 --> 00:13:56.029 address on the screen right underneath me here. 00:13:56.169 --> 00:13:58.889 We're so grateful for your support and sincerely 00:13:58.889 --> 00:14:02.070 hope that you will join the conversation in the 00:14:02.070 --> 00:14:04.889 coming weeks. Just put your comments or questions 00:14:04.889 --> 00:14:08.990 down below. And we will read them and we will 00:14:08.990 --> 00:14:12.169 answer them in upcoming episodes. Speaking of 00:14:12.169 --> 00:14:14.389 that, hit the like and subscribe buttons. It's 00:14:14.389 --> 00:14:18.129 free. And turn on that notify bell so you don't 00:14:18.129 --> 00:14:21.590 miss a single show. I'm Clayton Vandiver, your 00:14:21.590 --> 00:14:24.210 Light Keeper. We'll see you next time.