Pulmonary & Respiratory Medicine

Mechanical ventilation

Mechanical ventilation may be defined as a life-support system designed to replace or support normal ventilatory lung function. An individual may require mechanical aid for breathing to augment or replace spontaneous ventilatory efforts to achieve medical stability or to maintain life. This support may be short-term, in the form of rescue breathing or manual ventilation, or long-term, employing more advanced techniques of artificial respiration. The patient eligible for mechanical ventilation may require a tracheostomy tube or endotracheal tube for ventilatory support.