Ventilator control system

A control system ensures that the ventilator produces the correct breathing pattern.

This requires setting basic controls, including:

Size of the breath

How fast and often the breath is brought in and let out

How much effort, if any, the patient needs to exert to start a breath

A spontaneous breath occurs when the patient can control the timing and size of the breath. Otherwise, the effort involves a mandatory breath. A particular pattern of spontaneous and mandatory breaths is referred to as a ventilation mode.

Numerous ventilation modes allow ventilators to produce various breathing patterns, to suit the individual needs of the patient. These modes coordinate with ventilator functions.