Mechanical

Mechanical ventilation is a method to mechanically assist or replace spontaneous breathing. This may involve a machine called a ventilator, or the breathing may be assisted manually by a suitably qualified professional, such as an anesthesiologist, Registered Nurse (RN), paramedic, or EMT, using a bag valve mask device.

Indications

Mechanical ventilation is indicated when the patient's spontaneous ventilation is inadequate to maintain life. It is also indicated as prophylaxis for imminent collapse of other physiologic functions, or ineffective gas exchange in the lungs. Because mechanical ventilation serves only to provide assistance for breathing and does not cure a disease, the patient's underlying condition should be identified and treated in order to resolve over time.

Modes

Mechanical ventilation utilizes several separate modes of ventilation, which are dependent on the patient's pulmonary pathology and which confer different risks and benefits. The two main types of mechanical ventilation include positive pressure ventilation, where gas is pushed into the patient's bronchial tubes, and negative pressure ventilation, where gas is, in essence, sucked into the patient's lungs.

Complications

Mechanical ventilation is often a life-saving intervention, but carries potential complications including pneumothorax, airway injury, alveolar damage, and ventilator-associated pneumonia among others.

See also

• Respiratory therapy
• Intensive care medicine
• Liquid ventilation
• Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
• Iron lung

References

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