Summary
Covid-19 damages the lungs, leaving people struggling to get enough oxygen into their body. In the early stages of the pandemic many patients needed a lot of support in intensive care - including artificial ventilation. But there are other ways of boosting oxygen levels in the body - which are being studied in the Recovery-RS trial. Professor Gavin Perkins from the University of Warwick is comparing oxygen delivered by a mask called CPAP with both regular and high-flow oxygen to see which works best.
Physiotherapy is one of the hands-on therapies which has been disrupted by the lockdown. Patients who need to do bespoke exercises following a fall or a heart attack might have been offered online sessions instead. But Manchester University researcher Dr Helen Hawley-Hague says these don't suit everyone - including people who don't have access to the internet or a smartphone. We hear from Jennifer and George - both of them have taken part in Helen's studies and have accessed physiotherapy either face-to-face or via a phone app.
An Inside Health listener wanted to know if live vaccines like the polio vaccine could protect us against Covid. Oxford University's Andy Pollard explains about the theory behind this idea and how it might help.
Dr Margaret McCartney looks at whether it makes a difference if you do a Covid throat and nose yourself - or if it's carried out by a healthcare professional.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hello, you're about to listen to a BBC podcast, and I'm Ed Gamble, host of another BBC podcast, |
| 0:05.4 | The Traitors Uncloaked. But my show is available only on BBC Sounds, just like Ellis and John's |
| 0:10.6 | Saturday bonus episodes, the Pop Top Ten podcast with Scott Mills and Ryland, and comedy specials |
| 0:16.2 | from the likes of Harriet Kemsley, Susie Ruffel and Rommas Shranger Nathan. However, and maybe I'm biased, it's really all about the traitors uncloked. |
| 0:24.3 | So for a whole bunch of exclusive scoops and podcasts, listen only on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:30.5 | BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts. |
| 0:34.4 | Hello, I'm James Gallagher, the BBC's Health and Science correspondent. |
| 0:37.8 | You're listening to Inside Health, which was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 on the 20th of October 2020. |
| 0:45.1 | As we constantly reinvent how we explain COVID, today we'll explore the immune system through a researcher's dislike of dogs, |
| 0:54.1 | talk lockdown muscle loss, |
| 0:55.8 | strictly come dancing and physiotherapy, as well as compare swabbing experiences with our resident GP, |
| 1:02.0 | Margaret McCartney. But first, as winter approaches and hospital admissions rise, we turn to |
| 1:08.2 | oxygen therapy. We all know by now that COVID damages the lungs, and that |
| 1:13.1 | leaves people struggling to get enough oxygen into their body to keep their organs going. |
| 1:18.6 | But there's more than one way that doctors can boost oxygen levels. Finding out which is best |
| 1:23.6 | could be as important as discovering drugs that treat the disease. |
| 1:32.5 | Gavin Perkins is an intensive care consultant at the Heartland's Hospital in Birmingham. |
| 1:37.4 | He's part of the Recovery R.S. trial, which is trying to find the answer. |
| 1:42.7 | There are three main options for supporting people that are struggling with their breathing. |
| 1:45.7 | One is to supply controlled oxygen therapy, |
| 1:50.1 | which is normal oxygen, breathe through the mouth and the nose and the amount can be turned up and down depending on the oxygen levels in the blood. An alternative way of administering oxygen |
| 1:56.3 | is CPAP, which stands for continuous positive airway pressure. |
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