Mechanical Ventilation

Mechanical ventilation is a life-sustaining therapy for persons suffering from severe cardiopulmonary diseases and disorders. Ventilators supplant or supplement lung function by means of pumping oxygen-enriched air directly into the lungs, via a windpipe tube or neck hole, also called a tracheostomy. Mechanical ventilation differs from non-invasive BiPAP or CPAP therapies, requiring a surgical procedure to be effective. Ventilators have proven successful in supporting respiratory activity in patients with curtailed breathing capacity, but can also lead to unwanted health risks and complications.

Respiratory care is a major focus at Baptist Health. Our physicians, therapists, and other providers stay up-to-date with the latest advances in treating pulmonary conditions and diseases. You’ll receive the best that medicine has to offer, always with a human touch.

Why Would I Receive Mechanical Ventilation?

Patients most commonly receive mechanical ventilation when suffering a major loss of lung power due to medical trauma or disease. In fact, a majority of individuals admitted to a hospital’s intensive care unit (ICU) receive ventilation during their first 24 hours in the unit. Medical conditions requiring mechanical ventilation include:

• Respiratory failure caused by severe asthma attacks, COPD, pneumonia, or any similar threat to lung function
• Heart disease
• Neurological conditions, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) & muscular dystrophy
• Organ failure
• Physical injury to the lungs or chest cavity
• Septic infections.

Mechanical ventilation is also used to support breathing during surgery.

How Will Mechanical Ventilation Help My Condition?

A patient receiving mechanical ventilation benefits in four ways:

• A ventilator takes on part or all of the breathing function, allowing the lungs and chest muscles to rest
• Enhanced gas exchange increases the blood’s oxygen supply, while reversing carbon dioxide buildup
• Airways are stabilized, reducing aspiration risk
• Ventilation therapy supports a critical life function, buying time for further medical treatment and possible recovery.

The benefits of mechanical ventilation are limited, however. The underlying cause of cardiopulmonary dysfunction is not addressed by this form of therapy.

What Should I Expect from Mechanical Ventilation?

Mechanical ventilation begins with a surgical procedure to insert either an endotracheal tube (ET) into your windpipe or a “trach tube” though an incision in your neck. You will be unconscious during this procedure. The tube creates a passageway for air running from the ventilator to your lungs. 

The ventilator tube is unlikely to cause pain but it can be uncomfortable. The trach tube has the advantage over an ET of allowing you to speak. You won’t be able to eat normally, so nutrients will be provided intravenously. This may require the insertion of a nasogastric, or feeding, tube.

Your medical team may administer medications to reduce anxiety or discomfort. These include painkillers, sedatives, and neuromuscular blocking agents, to reduce resistance to the breathing pattern supported by the ventilator.

Mechanical ventilation is typically provided in a hospital or other healthcare facility but there are portable units that patients can use at home.

What Are the Possible Side Effects?

There are a number of potential side effects to the use of mechanical ventilation. These include:

• Lung damage: Mechanical ventilation works by forcing air in and out of the lungs. If air pressure is too great, or ventilation continues for too long, lung damage can result.
• Infections: Because air from the ventilator enters the body by means of a windpipe or neck-hole tube, it leaves the patient open to infection from pathogens originating outside the body.
• Medication side effects: The use of mechanical ventilation requires a variety of medications, including painkillers, sedatives, and antibiotics. Dosages and frequencies have to be carefully monitored by the medical team, to reduce the possibility of side effects, such as muscle weakness and delirium.
• Pneumothorax: A weakened lung sometimes breaks down, allowing air to escape into the chest cavity. If external pressure builds up sufficiently over time, it can lead to lung collapse, also called pneumothorax.

A patient on ventilation also faces the possibility that his or her medical condition may not improve enough to return to normal breathing. In cases like these, the patient, his or her family, and the medical team will be faced with a decision of how much longer to continue with ventilation.

What Is My Prognosis with Mechanical Ventilation?

Mechanical ventilation is a life-sustaining technology. Outside of surgical settings, individuals on a ventilator are dealing with the threat of an acute cardiopulmonary condition. Mechanical ventilation offers powerful support for diminished lung function but cannot, by itself, heal the underlying cause of the medical crisis.

When It Comes to Respiratory Health, We’re a Breath of Fresh Air

If you’re dealing with a respiratory ailment or condition, see your Baptist Health physician. He or she will be able to assess your condition and determine which medical treatments, if any, are most appropriate for you.

How Will Mechanical Ventilation Help My Condition?

A patient receiving mechanical ventilation benefits in four ways:

• A ventilator takes on part or all of the breathing function, allowing the lungs and chest muscles to rest
• Enhanced gas exchange increases the blood’s oxygen supply, while reversing carbon dioxide buildup
• Airways are stabilized, reducing aspiration risk
• Ventilation therapy supports a critical life function, buying time for further medical treatment and possible recovery.

The benefits of mechanical ventilation are limited, however. The underlying cause of cardiopulmonary dysfunction is not addressed by this form of therapy.

What Should I Expect from Mechanical Ventilation?

Mechanical ventilation begins with a surgical procedure to insert either an endotracheal tube (ET) into your windpipe or a “trach tube” though an incision in your neck. You will be unconscious during this procedure. The tube creates a passageway for air running from the ventilator to your lungs. 

The ventilator tube is unlikely to cause pain but it can be uncomfortable. The trach tube has the advantage over an ET of allowing you to speak. You won’t be able to eat normally, so nutrients will be provided intravenously. This may require the insertion of a nasogastric, or feeding, tube.

Your medical team may administer medications to reduce anxiety or discomfort. These include painkillers, sedatives, and neuromuscular blocking agents, to reduce resistance to the breathing pattern supported by the ventilator.

Mechanical ventilation is typically provided in a hospital or other healthcare facility but there are portable units that patients can use at home.

What Are the Possible Side Effects?

There are a number of potential side effects to the use of mechanical ventilation. These include:

• Lung damage: Mechanical ventilation works by forcing air in and out of the lungs. If air pressure is too great, or ventilation continues for too long, lung damage can result.
• Infections: Because air from the ventilator enters the body by means of a windpipe or neck-hole tube, it leaves the patient open to infection from pathogens originating outside the body.
• Medication side effects: The use of mechanical ventilation requires a variety of medications, including painkillers, sedatives, and antibiotics. Dosages and frequencies have to be carefully monitored by the medical team, to reduce the possibility of side effects, such as muscle weakness and delirium.
• Pneumothorax: A weakened lung sometimes breaks down, allowing air to escape into the chest cavity. If external pressure builds up sufficiently over time, it can lead to lung collapse, also called pneumothorax.

A patient on ventilation also faces the possibility that his or her medical condition may not improve enough to return to normal breathing. In cases like these, the patient, his or her family, and the medical team will be faced with a decision of how much longer to continue with ventilation.

What Is My Prognosis with Mechanical Ventilation?

Mechanical ventilation is a life-sustaining technology. Outside of surgical settings, individuals on a ventilator are dealing with the threat of an acute cardiopulmonary condition. Mechanical ventilation offers powerful support for diminished lung function but cannot, by itself, heal the underlying cause of the medical crisis.

When It Comes to Respiratory Health, We’re a Breath of Fresh Air

If you’re dealing with a respiratory ailment or condition, see your Baptist Health physician. He or she will be able to assess your condition and determine which medical treatments, if any, are most appropriate for you.