Hypoxia on the Ventilator: Using the Area-under-the-Curve Method to Troubleshoot

Hypoxia on the ventilated patient can be intimidating and get complex very quickly. While it is often simplified to "turn this knob" or "increase the peep" this can be harmful if not fully understood. Understanding the role of Mean Airway Pressure, the Pressure curve, and the Area under the pressure curve can be extremely helpful. By using the pressure curve one can understand how we oxygenate on the ventilator and in turn how we oxygenate "better" on the ventilator. And, perhaps more importantly, why we do what we do with the ventilator. We will conclude with brief discussion on how, and why, we use Pressure Control Mode for hypoxic patients. This is presented in a simple straightforward iPad WhiteBoard Lecture.