Machinery used to provide arti?cial ventilation. Also called a respirator or life-support machine, it is an electric pump linked to a supply of air which it pumps into the patient through an endotracheal tube passed through the nose or mouth into the trachea (see ENDOTRACHEAL INTUBATION). Sometimes the air is pumped straight into the trachea through an arti?cial hole called a TRACHEOSTOMY. During ventilation the patient’s blood gases are closely monitored and other bodily activities such as pulse and heart pressure are regularly measured. Some patients need to be kept on a ventilator for several days or even weeks if their medical condition is serious. (See also ARTIFICIAL VENTILATION OF THE LUNGS.)... ventilator
A life-threatening condition in which the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood rises, and the amount of oxygen falls, due to disruption of the normal exchange of gases between the air in the lungs and the blood. Ventilatory failure may be due to brain damage or to depression of the respiratory centres by excessive doses of drugs such as morphine. Treatment may involve artificial ventilation or, in some cases, the use of respiratory stimulant drugs. (See also respiratory failure.)... ventilatory failure
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