title: Weaning patients from mechanical ventilation. How to avoid difficulty.
abstract: The majority of patients can be easily weaned from mechanical ventilation, but a substantial minority pose considerable difficulty. In such cases, the cause of ventilator dependency should be identified and correctable factors should be rectified. An organized plan of management, a team approach, optimal pulmonary and general patient care, and nutritional supplementation are important factors in successful weaning.
authors.affiliation: Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Edward Hines Jr Veterans Affairs Hospital, IL 60141.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Tobin
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011187:Posture; D015300:Ventilator Weaning / Q000379:methods* / Q000523:psychology