When someone you care about is in the ICU and needs help breathing, you might hear the doctors talk about a “mechanical ventilator.”
A mechanical ventilator is a machine that helps people breathe when their lungs need some extra support.
How it Works
- The Breath In: The ventilator gently pushes air into the lungs through a special tube. This tube usually goes in through the mouth and down into the windpipe.
- The Breath Out: After pushing air in, the ventilator lets the person’s chest fall naturally, allowing them to breathe out.
- Just Right: The machine is carefully set up to give just the right amount of air, at just the right speed, for each person’s needs.
How it Helps
- Comfort First: The person is usually given medicine to keep them comfortable and relaxed.
- Constant Care: Nurses and doctors keep a close eye on the person and the machine, making sure everything is working well.
- Teamwork: The ventilator works with the person’s body, supporting their natural breathing.
- Healing Time: While the ventilator does the hard work of breathing, the person’s body can focus on healing.
A ventilator is a helping tool. It’s there to support your loved one when they need it most, giving their body the chance to rest and recover. The healthcare team will be there every step of the way, ensuring the best care possible.
The Details
No Food or Drink Patients with breathing tubes can’t have anything by mouth, even water. This is to protect their lungs. We use special swabs to keep their mouth moist.
Clearing the Breathing Tube We sometimes need to remove phlegm from the breathing tube. A nurse or respiratory therapist will use suction to clear it out. (ETT Suctioning)
Mouth Cleaning Every 2 hours, we clean the patient’s mouth with a special green swab. This helps prevent pneumonia and keeps the mouth fresh.
Breathing Practice Each day, we let patients try breathing more on their own, using a weaning mode on the ventilator. This helps us see if they’re ready to remove the breathing tube. We call this a Spontaneous Breathing Trial.
Wake-up Tests We regularly pause the sleep medicine to let patients wake up. This often happens during breathing practice. Sometimes, if the patient does well, we might keep them more awake. We call this a Spontaneous Awakening Trial.
Full Breathing Support Sometimes the machine does all the breathing work for the patient. The most common mode for this is called “Pressure Regulated Volume Control.”
Partial Breathing Support As patients improve, we switch to a mode where they do more breathing on their own, with just a little pressure help from the ventilator. This helps prepare for removing the breathing tube. We call this CPAP/PS or Continuous Positive Airway Pressure / Pressure Support
Breathing Rate We measure how many times a minute the patient breathes. A normal rate is 12-20 breaths per minute. Sometimes patients take extra breaths on their own.
Oxygen Levels We can give patients extra oxygen, from a little bit (25%) to a lot (100%). Normal air has 21% oxygen.
Lung Pressure We measure how much pressure it takes to open the lungs. Higher numbers mean more pressure is needed.
Machine Breathing Rate We set how often the machine gives breaths. The patient will always breathe at least this many times per minute.
Breath Size We measure how much air goes into the lungs with each breath. This helps us make sure the patient is getting enough air.