Ventilatory Modes

Mechanical ventilators deliver breaths to patients in different modes, which include the following.

First, full support modes, such as controlled mechanical ventilation, assist-control ventilation, and pressure-control ventilation, offer complete breathing support.

The machine governs the volume or pressure of each breath by providing a preset tidal volume or pressure.

Next, partial support modes like intermittent mandatory ventilation, synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation, and proportional assist ventilation allow for a mix of machine-assisted and spontaneous breaths.

Then, spontaneous modes, namely pressure support ventilation and continuous positive airway pressure, support patients who can manage most of their breathing with minimal assistance.

Finally, specialized modes include neurally adjusted ventilatory assistance, which provides synchronized breaths in line with diaphragm activity; independent lung ventilation, which allows separate lung ventilation; and airway pressure-release ventilation, which facilitates spontaneous breathing throughout the ventilatory cycle.