Returning to the supine position from prone position
Repeat the procedure for the turning process.
How long you should continue prone positioning
About 60-70% of patients show an improvement in oxygenation when placed prone. Some are early responders (less than 30 minutes to show an improvement in PaO2) and some are late responders
It is not uncommon for the patient to transiently worsen following the turn. This is likely due to changes in pulmonary blood flow and secretion mobilization. The situation usually improves within 2 hours.
Recent studies have shown improvement up to 17 hours with prone ventilation. The duration of proning shown be dictated by the individual patient’s response but should ideally be less than 20 hours.
If there is no response to prone ventilation after 4-6 hours, consider placing supine again Failure of PaCO2 levels to fall following proning is a poor prognostic sign.