When paramedics respond to an emergency, they check a patient’s vital signs, including breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and level of consciousness. If a patient is having difficulty breathing, one treatment option is endotracheal intubation. While insertion of this artificial airway through the mouth and into the lungs helps provide ventilation, it is associated with multiple complications because it bypasses the patient’s natural defenses. This in turn may lead to infections and longer hospital stays.

The other option is to treat an appropriately selected patient with a non-invasive continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) device such as the WhisperFlow from Philips.

Philips WhisperFlow CPAP is a comfortable, easy-to-use, non-invasive treatment option that can reduce the work associated with breathing while the patient is transported to a hospital. Depending on the patient’s needs, WhisperFlow uses a variety of mask and valve configurations to deliver oxygen-enriched air at a controlled and consistent pressure. WhisperFlow improves oxygenation and enables easier breathing while reducing the potential for infection, trauma, and prolonged length of hospital stay.

The result - return a patient to active living to enjoy the good things in life. Now that’s easy to swallow.