Principles of artificial ventilation

摘要

The application of intermittent positive pressure ventilation (IPPV) during the 1952 Copenhagen polio epidemic led to the development of the world's first intensive care unit. The requirement for ventilator/ support is the most common indication for intensive therapy unit (ITU) admission and is a defining feature of the specialty. Ventilator technology continues to develop and there are many ways to deliver IPPV. The variety of modes of ventilation is increasingly complex and expanding, without evidence that any one mode is associated with improved outcome. Ventilatory support is part of the treatment for a range of conditions including acute respiratory failure, raised intracranial pressure (ICP) and circulatory shock. Ventilator-associated lung injury is reduced by using low tidal volumes and limiting plateau airway pressure to less than 30 cmH_2O. Prolonged artificial ventilation has an associated morbidity and mortality and thus should be reviewed by an expert clinician on a daily basis. Weaning aims to identify those patients who will be able to breathe spontaneously. Protocols exist to facilitate timely extubation without the need for re-intubation.