The reason: Some hospitals have reported unusually high death rates for coronavirus patients on ventilators. Some doctors worry that the machines could be harming patients with some conditions.
原因在于一些医院报告了上呼吸机的新冠肺炎患者死亡率奇高。一些医生担心呼吸机在某些情况下可能对患者有害。

Doctors are still learning the best way to control the virus, which appeared only a few months ago. Some doctors are making decisions quickly as they face a large number of patients and too few medical supplies.
医生们仍在学习控制这种病毒的最佳办法，这些办法是仅几个月前才出现的。由于面对大量患者且医疗用品奇缺，一些医生会迅速做出决定。

Mechanical ventilators push oxygen into the lungs of sick patients. Using the machines means putting the patient to sleep and pushing a tube into their throat. Deaths in patients who need ventilators are common.
机械呼吸机将氧气送入患者肺部。使用呼吸机意味着需要让患者入睡并且将一根管子插入他们的喉咙。需要上呼吸机的患者死亡很常见。

About 40 percent to 50 percent of patients with severe breathing problems die while on ventilators, experts say. But 80 percent or more of coronavirus patients placed on the machines in New York City have died, state and city officials say.
专家表示，大约40%到50%患有严重呼吸疾病的患者在使用呼吸机期间死亡。但是纽约州和纽约市官员表示，纽约市80%或更多上了呼吸机的新冠病毒患者已经死亡。

Higher-than-normal death rates also have been reported in other places in the U.S., said Dr. Albert Rizzo. He is the American Lung Association's chief medical officer.
阿尔伯特·里佐博士表示，美国其它地方也报告了高出正常水平的死亡率。他是美国肺脏协会的首席医学官。

Similar reports have come from China and Britain. One British report said that 66 percent of those put on ventilators died.
中国和英国也有类似报告。一份英国报告称，上了呼吸机的患者有66%死亡。

The reason is not clear. Some experts said it might have to do with the health of the patients before they were infected. Or, it could be related to how sick the patients had become by the time they were put on the machines.
原因尚不清楚。有专家表示，这可能与患者被感染前的健康状况有关。或者这可能跟患者上呼吸机时的病情有关。

But health officials have wondered whether ventilators might be making the situation worse in some patients.
但是卫生官员想知道呼吸机是否可能造成某些患者病情恶化。

Experts say ventilators can be damaging to a patient because of the pressure on the lungs as the oxygen is forced in over time.
专家表示，由于氧气被压入时会对肺部造成压力，随着时间推移，呼吸机可能会对患者造成伤害。

"We know that mechanical ventilation is not benign,"said Dr. Eddy Fan. He is with Toronto General Hospital. "We have to be careful how we use it," he added.
艾迪·方博士表示：“我们知道机械通气不是良性的。”他就职于多伦多总医院。他还说：“我们必须谨慎使用它。”

But some doctors say they are trying to keep patients off ventilators as long as possible. They are using other medical technology instead.
但是一些医生表示，他们正试图尽可能久地让患者远离呼吸机。他们正使用其它医疗技术作为代替。

Only a few weeks ago in New York City, very sick coronavirus patients were put on ventilators to keep them breathing, said Dr. Joseph Habboushe. He is an emergency room doctor who works in Manhattan hospitals.
约瑟夫·哈布休博士表示，就在几周前，纽约市的重症新冠病毒患者都被戴上呼吸机以维持呼吸。他是曼哈顿医院的一位急诊医生。

But physicians are trying other treatments first. One includes giving patients oxygen through tubes in the nose; another is having patients lie in different positions to let air into the lungs.
但是医生首先会尝试其它治疗办法。办法之一是通过鼻管给患者供氧。另一种办法是让患者用不同姿势躺着，方便空气进入肺部。

He said those decisions are separate from worries that there are not enough ventilators in the United States. That is also a worry, Habboushe added.
他说，这些决定跟担心美国没有足够呼吸机有所不同。哈布休表示，这也是一种担忧。

There are reports that coronavirus patients are usually on ventilators much longer than other patients, said Dr. William Schaffner. He is an infectious diseases expert at Vanderbilt University.
威廉·谢夫纳博士表示，有报告称新冠病毒患者使用呼吸机的时间通常要比其他患者长得多。他是范德尔比特大学的传染病专家。

Experts say before coronavirus, a patient was on a ventilator for only one or two days. Coronavirus patients use ventilators for up to 15 days, and they are dying. The long 15-day period is the reason doctors are worried about a shortage of ventilators. As cases increase, doctors may be forced to decide who gets one and who does not.
专家说，在新冠病毒之前，患者上呼吸机不过一两天时间。新冠病毒患者上呼吸机长达15天，并且他们快要死去。15天的漫长时间是医生们担心呼吸机短缺的原因。随着病例增加，医生们可能会被迫决定谁上呼吸机谁不上呼吸机。