Editing Ventilator (section)

=== Ventilator pressures labeled ===
[[File:Ventilator pressures labeled.png|thumb|Ventilator pressures labeled]]
Modern ventilators are electronically controlled by a small [[embedded system]] to allow exact adaptation of pressure and flow characteristics to an individual patient's needs. Fine-tuned ventilator settings also serve to make ventilation more tolerable and comfortable for the patient. In Canada and the United States, [[respiratory therapists]] are responsible for tuning these settings, while biomedical technologists are responsible for the maintenance.  In the United Kingdom and Europe the management of the patient's interaction with the ventilator is done by [[Critical care nursing|critical care]] nurses.

The patient circuit usually consists of a set of three durable, yet lightweight plastic tubes, separated by function (e.g. inhaled air, patient pressure, exhaled air). Determined by the type of ventilation needed, the patient-end of the circuit may be either noninvasive or invasive.

Noninvasive methods, such as [[Continuous positive airway pressure|continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)]] and [[non-invasive ventilation]], which are adequate for patients who require a ventilator only while sleeping and resting, mainly employ a nasal mask. Invasive methods require [[intubation]], which for long-term ventilator dependence will normally be a [[tracheotomy]] cannula, as this is much more comfortable and practical for long-term care than is larynx or nasal intubation.<gallery widths="300" heights="200">
File:Closed circuit ventilators.gif|Closed circuit ventilator system are used to provide O<sub>2</sub>-enriched air to the patient.
File:Open circuit ventilator.gif|Open circuit ventilators are used to provide normal ambient air with normal O<sub>2</sub> ratio to the patient.
File:Biology of ventilation.gif|At physiological level, ventilators renew the [[Atmosphere of Earth|air]] and its critical [[Breathing|O<sub>2</sub>/CO<sub>2</sub> exchange]] to [[pulmonary alveolus]]. 
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