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The mechanical ventilator: a potentially dangerous tool
1Pulmonary-Critical Care Medicine Branch, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Abstract:
Mechanical ventilation is an important therapeutic technique for patients with respiratory failure. Nonetheless, it can be potentially dangerous, worsening by itself pre-existing lesions and producing new ones. The author carefully reviews the results of a number of long term studies in large animals, which highlight the factors causing ventilator-induced lung injury. When the pathology is not manageable with non invasive approach, invasive mechanical ventilation should be tailored to the patient to avoid iatrogenic damage.
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