Doctors find that positioning some of the most critical COVID-19 patients on their stomachs can help them breathe.

Positioning patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) on their stomachs increases circulation to lungs for COVID-19 patients.

Positioning patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) on their stomachs increases circulation to lungs for COVID-19 patients. In 2013, a study in The New England Journal of Medicine showed that for patients with severe ARDS, early application of prolonged prone-positioning (on stomach) decreased 28-day and 90-day mortality rates.

In April 2020, amidst rising Covid-19 cases, doctors started putting COVID-19 patients with severe respiratory problems on their stomachs. They found that doing so significantly improved oxygen circulation in the lungs for them and often prevented death. Its degree of effectiveness in serious cases, unless applied in advance, still needs to be medically verified.

However, it is true that doctors are increasingly using this technique to relieve symptoms of respiratory fatigue in COVID-19 patients.

The COVID-19 pandemic has given rise to a lot of potentially dangerous misinformation. For reliable advice on COVID-19 including symptoms, prevention and available treatment, please refer to the World Health Organisation or your national healthcare authority.