Types of Ventilators

Transport ventilators differ from ventilators encountered in hospitals in many regards. Transport ventilators can be as simple as delivering compressed air at determined flows and time cycles or as sophisticated as ventilators in intensive care units. Understanding the capabilities of the available ventilators is important for an organization to select the device(s) that work best for their patient population and environment. Even more importantly, the clinicians working for that organization should understand the capabilities and limitations of their available ventilators before ever completing a transport. This chapter reviews simple, sophisticated, and ICU-like ventilators, highlighting key factors for each type.