The lives of patients hospitalised with Covid-19 are being saved by doctors who are using an existing medical treatment at an earlier stage.
Dr Luigi Sedda of Lancaster University analysed the results from the team at Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust (WWL). Their research has now been published in the prestigious medical journal BMJ Respiratory Open.
He said: “We show that Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) in the first days of hospitalisation seems to save between 10% to 20% of patients. However it is important to underline that this was a pilot study with a small sample size, although comforting evidence is starting to emerge elsewhere.”
According to NHS England, 96% of people who died with Covid had at least one serious health condition and the majority are over the age of 80.
The team led by Dr Abdul Ashish used the CPAP machines on patients with COVID-19 admitted to the Royal Albert Edward Infirmary in Wigan.
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BMJ Open Respiratory Research: