title: How to choose a mechanical ventilator.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To provide some practical and clinical considerations that may guide users through the decision process when choosing mechanical ventilators
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although the complexity of mechanical ventilators is steadily increasing, the importance of many devices developed over the course of the technical evolution is still a matter of discussion. Recent data demonstrate that the technical performance of equivalent ventilators (ie, machines of the same generation and category) is pretty similar, suggesting that the different manufacturers keep in step with new developments. Thus, other factors than technical limitations will probably influence the choice of ventilators. Among them the ability of the staff to understand the rationale of the different devices and controls as well as deal with the complexity of the ventilator may be particularly important.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Choosing mechanical ventilators should begin by defining the algorithms of how to ventilate a patient. Once this is done, a ventilator should allow the transformation of specific strategies into practice and the adaptation of the mechanical support to the needs of the individual patient. This procedure is crucially important, because ventilator therapy should always be determined by the physician and based on solid physiologic rationales rather than by the technical features of the machine.
authors.affiliation: Semmelweis Egyetem, Aneszteziológiai és Intenzív Terápiás Klinika, Budapest, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zsolt
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Iványi
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Radermacher
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kuhlen
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Calzia
mesh_terms: D001185:Artificial Intelligence; D004867:Equipment Design; D006801:Humans; D007442:Intubation, Intratracheal / Q000295:instrumentation; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D015656:Respiratory Mechanics; D012122:Ventilators, Mechanical