title: Mean airway pressure: theoretical considerations.
abstract: Several recent articles have suggested the use of mean airway pressure (Paw) as an index of the physiological effect of ventilating pressures. To facilitate the understanding of this parameter, operational formulas are derived by applying the explicit, mathematical definition of Paw to several clinically relevant pressure waveforms. These formulas are then generalized to apply to any wave shape. It is shown that any pressure waveform can be characterized by a waveform constant K, knowledge of which permits the estimation of Paw using information from either airway pressure recordings or the control settings and pressure gauges on conventional ventilators.
mesh_terms: D000399:Air Pressure; D001274:Atmospheric Pressure; D008433:Mathematics; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D012121:Respiration, Artificial