Should Intermittent Mandatory Ventilation Be Abolished?
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 20, 2026

Inspiratory Muscle Training as an Adjunct to the Treatment of Weaning Failure in Critically Ill Patients: A Practical Guide
Published on: January 30, 2026
Robert M Kacmarek1, Richard D Branson2
1Department of Anesthesiology, Harvard Medical School, and Department of Respiratory Care, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts. rkacmarek@partners.org Richard.branson@uc.edu.
Abstract:
Intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) was introduced nearly 50 years ago. Despite the initial fanfare and early adoption by many, the role of IMV continues to be questioned. The use of small tidal volumes complicates the application of IMV, and issues with work of breathing, weaning and lack of clear advantages have many calling for a moratorium on its use. Spontaneous breathing, however, has a number of salutatory effects on gas exchange, the distribution of ventilation, and hemodynamics. These issues will be explored in light of a growing body of evidence.
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