Episode 18: The Ventilator Part 2

Many apologies for the delay in the release of this podcast!

A second apology is due for the sound quality – it was recorded at a ‘live’ HEMS base – this has led to lots of background noise I am afraid. We have done our best to edit this out / reduce its effect but I’m afraid we are not experts in this area!

This podcast is part 2 of this series on the ventilator – and you should be familiar with the first in this series before progressing further!

Others have written excellent summaries of the themes of this podcast – please follow the links below:

• These from Life in the Fast Lane (LITFL), PEEP and the Open Lung Approach to Ventilation
• And these from derangedphysiology.com

In summary:

• PEEP is important – you need to understand its benefits and potential harms.
• If the patient is requiring more oxygen than you would expect try increasing the PEEP.
• You really, really need to know your kit. Know what your ventilator can and can’t do –  know how it works and how its alarms work.