high-frequency ventilation - definition of high-frequency ventilation in the Medical dictionary - by the Free Online Medical Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia.

ventilation /ven·ti·la·tion/ (ven″tĭ-la´shun)

1. breathing; the exchange of air between the lungs and the environment, including inhalation and exhalation.

2. circulation, replacement, or purification of the air or other gas in a space.

3. the equipment with which this is done.

4. verbalization of one's problems, emotions, or feelings.

alveolar ventilation the amount of air that reaches the alveoli and is available for gas exchange with the blood per unit time.

high-frequency ventilation mechanical ventilation in which small tidal volumes are delivered at a high respiration rate.

maximum voluntary ventilation maximal breathing capacity; the greatest volume of gas that can be breathed per minute by voluntary effort.

mechanical ventilation that accomplished by extrinsic means; usually either negative pressure v. or positive pressure v.

minute ventilation total v.; the total volume of gas in liters exhaled from the lungs per minute.

negative pressure ventilation mechanical ventilation in which negative pressure is generated on the outside of the patient's chest and transmitted to the interior to expand the lungs and allow air to flow in; used with weak or paralyzed patients.

positive pressure ventilation mechanical ventilation in which air is delivered into the airways and lungs under positive pressure, usually via an endotracheal tube, producing positive airway pressure during inspiration.

pulmonary ventilation a measure of the rate of ventilation, referring to the total exchange of air between the lungs and the ambient air.

total ventilation minute v.

high-frequency ventilation (HFV),

a technique for providing ventilatory support to patients at a rate of at least 60 breaths per minute with small tidal volumes. It may be used during intraoperative procedures such as laryngoscopy or bronchoscopy, as well as for ventilation in patients with a bronchopleural fistula or advanced respiratory distress syndrome, or in respiratory distress of the neonate. Kinds of HFV include high-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) and high-frequency oscillation (HFO). HFJV uses a high-pressure gas source that can produce short, rapid jets of gas through a small-bore cannula into the airway above the carina at a rate of 100 to 400 per minute. HFO forces small impulses of gas into and out of the airway at a rate of 400 to 4000 per minute.