title: Technology for noninvasive mechanical ventilation: looking into the black box.
abstract: Current devices for providing noninvasive respiratory support contain sensors and built-in intelligence for automatically modifying ventilation according to the patient's needs. These devices, including automatic continuous positive airway pressure devices and noninvasive ventilators, are technologically complex and offer a considerable number of different modes of ventilation and setting options, the details of which are sometimes difficult to capture by the user. Therefore, better predicting and interpreting the actual performance of these ventilation devices in clinical application requires understanding their functioning principles and assessing their performance under well controlled bench test conditions with simulated patients. This concise review presents an updated perspective of the theoretical basis of intelligent continuous positive airway pressure and noninvasive ventilation devices, and of the tools available for assessing how these devices respond under specific ventilation phenotypes in patients requiring breathing support.
authors.affiliation: Unitat Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Ramon
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Farré
authors.affiliation: Unitat Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain; Institut de Bioenginyeria de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Navajas
authors.affiliation: CIBER Enfermedades Respiratorias, Madrid, Spain; Institut d'Investigacions Biomèdiques August Pi Sunyer, Barcelona, Spain; Sleep Lab, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Josep M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Montserrat