With the dire shortage of ventilators across the country, some states have adopted emergency plans to use CPAP machines as alternatives to help COVID-19 patients breathe.

But according to NPR, that plan has a major drawback. The machines, which use continuous positive airway pressure, may increase the spread of infection by aerosolizing the virus.

The American Society of Anesthesiologists issued guidance in February discouraging the use of CPAP machines for coronavirus patients based on experience during the 2003 SARS epidemic, where it was found that the devices pumped viruses into the air, says NPR.

Pulmonologist Dr. Steven Tomski tells WLOS.com, an ABC affiliate in North Carolina:

“CPAP machines are not an effective treatment for COVID-19 patients. They operate using room air that is pressurized, not high flow oxygen. This is why physicians and scientists are not using them as a COVID-19 treatment. Even hospital-grade CPAPS or Bi-Level CPAPS which can have oxygen added into their mix, are not a valid option due to increased risk of putting secretions into the air.”

According to Sleep.org CPAP machines are primarily used to treat people suffering from sleep apnea.