Principles of Critical Care, 3e > Part IV. Pulmonary Disorders > Chapter 36. Management of the Ventilated Patient Gregory A. Schmidt, Jesse B. Hall

Key Points

"Too often, the management of the patient on a ventilator is guided by (a) a standard protocol applied to diverse patients regardless of the underlying pulmonary derangement or (b) mode-dominated thinking on the part of the physician, by which various microprocessor-controlled machine functions are hoped to have a salutary effect on patient outcome. This chapter offers an alternative approach, in which ventilator parameters are tailored to the patient's mechanical and gas exchange abnormalities. This facilitates early stabilization of the patient on the ventilator in such a way as to optimize carbon dioxide removal and oxygen delivery within the limits of abnormal neuromuscular function, lung mechanics, and gas exchange and limit complications of barotrauma, lung injury, and cardiovascular depression...."