ventilation
[ven″tĭ-la´shun] 1. the process or act of supplying a house or room continuously with fresh air.
3. in psychiatry, verbalization of one's problems, emotions, or feelings.
alveolar ventilation a fraction of the
pulmonary ventilation, being the amount of air that reaches the alveoli and is available for gas exchange with the blood.
controlled ventilation (
control mode ventilation)
positive pressure ventilation in which the ventilator is in
control mode, with its cycle entirely controlled by the apparatus and not influenced by the patient's efforts at spontaneous ventilation.
high-frequency ventilation a technique of mechanical ventilation that uses very high rates (over 80 breaths per minute) and small tidal volumes (equal to or less than dead space); it may either be positive pressure ventilation or be delivered in the form of frequent jets of air. It is used to lower the peak airway pressure applied to the lung, thus decreasing the risk of
barotrauma.
impaired spontaneous ventilation a
nursing diagnosis accepted by the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association, defined as a state in which an individual's decreased energy reserves result in inability to maintain breathing adequate to support life. See also
spontaneous ventilation.
intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) a type of
control mode ventilation in which the patient breathes spontaneously while the ventilator delivers a prescribed tidal volume at specified intervals and allows the patient to breathe spontaneously between cycles. The ventilator rate is set to maintain the patient's Pa
CO2 at desired levels and is reduced gradually to zero as the patient's condition improves. See also
intermittent positive-pressure breathing.
intermittent mandatory ventilation, synchronized (SIMV)
positive pressure ventilation in which the patient breathes spontaneously while the ventilator delivers a positive-pressure breath at intervals that are predetermined but synchronized with the patient's breathing.
maximal voluntary ventilation (
maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV)) the maximum volume that can be exhaled per minute by the patient breathing as rapidly and deeply as possible. Called also
maximal breathing capacity.
mechanical ventilation 2. in the
nursing interventions classification, a
nursing intervention defined as the use of an artificial device to assist a patient to breathe.
negative pressure ventilation a type of mechanical ventilation in which negative pressure is generated on the outside of the patient's chest and transmitted to the interior of the thorax in order to expand the lungs and allow air to flow in; used primarily with patients having paralysis of the chest muscles. See also ventilator.
noninvasive ventilation mechanical ventilation that does not use an artificial airway, such as
positive pressure ventilation with a nasal or face mask.
partial liquid ventilation ventilatory support in which the lungs are filled to the level of the
functional residual capacity with a liquid
perfluorocarbon; mechanical ventilation is then superimposed and oxygen and carbon dioxide are transferred through the liquid.
positive pressure ventilation any of numerous types of mechanical ventilation in which gas is delivered into the airways and lungs under positive pressure, producing positive airway pressure during inspiration; it may be done via either an endotracheal tube or a nasal mask. See also ventilator.
pressure support ventilation positive pressure ventilation in which the patient breathes spontaneously and breathing is augmented with air at a preset amount of pressure, with tidal volume not being fixed.
proportional assist ventilation positive pressure ventilation in which the ventilator can sense the patient's level of inspiratory flow and deliver pressure support to achieve a given tidal volume.
pulmonary ventilation a measure of the rate of ventilation, referring to the total exchange of air between the lungs and the ambient air, usually in liters per minute.
Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.