Home mechanical ventilation monitoring software: measure more or measure better?

In recent years, there has been an increasing interest in knowing the consequences of the patient-ventilator interaction in non-invasive mechanical ventilation. Therefore, several ventilator manufacturers have incorporated into their devices the possibility to monitor ventilation on-line and download the data stored in their internal memories. However, there is not a consensus as to how these data should be presented, and said devices have still not been sufficiently validated to be used systematically in clinical practice. The objective of the present study is to develop a critical, argumentative analysis of the technical characteristics for determining the monitor variables used in the different software programs incorporated in commercial ventilators. Likewise, the study contemplates the presentation of the measurements on the screen display, emphasizing the advantages and defects of each one and analyzing their behavior in common clinical practice situations, such as changes in the interface or the presence of accidental leaks. In addition, solution mechanisms are proposed for establishing future directives for the parameters that are important for clinicians, as well as the manner for providing and interpreting said information.