Ventilation modes and strategies in intensive care medicine

Advances in ventilator technology and recent findings in pathophysiological mechanisms have resulted in a remarkable decrease in classical volume controlled and pressure controlled ventilation modes as treatment for severe acute respiratory insufficiency. New modes of ventilatory support enabling and encouraging patients' spontaneous breathing, such as Biphasic Positive Airway Pressure (BIPAP) and Airway Pressure Release Ventilation (APRV), make it possible to adapt ventilatory support better and more easily to suit patients' needs than conventional modes of controlled ventilation. Preservation and support of patients' spontaneous breathing improves pulmonary gas exchange and reduces stress imposed by mechanical ventilation. The 'invasiveness' of mechanical ventilation is reduced and patients' comfort is less disturbed. Through this, the need for sedation and analgesia is considerably reduced and this may minimize systemic side-effects and complications from analgo-sedation and mechanical ventilation. The drugs should be administered in an adequate, individually adapted manner. Routinely-ordered and fixed combinations of drugs administered continuously are not adequate adequate as they further carry the risk of overdosing a different single drug with the corresponding side-effects (depression of respiratory drive, gut motility, etc.).