Mechanical ventilation

Mechanical ventilation is breathing support that uses a machine to move air into and out of the lungs. It can support or replace a person’s own breathing.

Positive-pressure ventilation: Ventilation that pushes gas into the lungs by raising pressure at the airway opening. Most modern ventilators deliver breaths by creating positive airway pressure.
Acute respiratory distress syndrome: A severe inflammatory lung injury causing rapidly developing hypoxemia and bilateral pulmonary opacities. Ventilation can support oxygenation while limiting additional injury to vulnerable lungs.
Respiratory system: The organs and structures that move air and exchange oxygen and carbon dioxide with the blood. Mechanical ventilation supports this system when spontaneous breathing cannot meet demand.
Ventilator-associated pneumonia: Pneumonia developing in a person receiving mechanical ventilation, commonly associated with an artificial airway. An airway tube and prolonged ventilation increase infection risk.
Negative-pressure ventilation: Ventilation that expands the chest by lowering pressure around it, drawing air into the lungs. It contrasts with the positive airway pressure used by most modern ventilators.
Tidal volume: The volume of gas moved into or out of the lungs during one breath. It describes the size of each machine-delivered breath.
Noninvasive ventilation: Ventilatory support delivered through a mask or other interface without an endotracheal tube or tracheostomy. It provides machine-assisted breathing without placing an artificial airway in the trachea.
Alveolus: A microscopic air sac in the lung where oxygen and carbon dioxide diffuse between air and blood. Ventilator pressure ultimately moves gas toward these sites of exchange.
Barotrauma: Tissue injury caused by pressure differences, including air escaping from the lung into surrounding spaces. Excessive ventilator pressures can rupture vulnerable lung tissue.
Continuous positive airway pressure: A constant positive airway pressure that helps keep airways open while the patient breathes spontaneously. Unlike many ventilator modes, it supplies pressure without necessarily delivering timed breaths.

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