EVALUATION OF PREDICTORS OF WEANING IN MECHANICALLY VENTILATED PATIENTS

Abstract

Mechanical ventilatory support is required when the ventilatory and/or gas exchange capabilities ofthe respiratory system of patients fail. This failure can be the result of processes both within the lung as well as in other organ systems, most notably the central nervous system and the cardiovascular system (Manthous, 2000). It has been estimated that as much as 42% of the time that a medical patient spends on a mechanical ventilator is during the weaning process (Tobin and Alex, 1994). Unnecessary delay m discontinuation of mechanical ventilation increases the complication rate for mechanical ventilation (e.g. pneumonia or airway trauma) as well as the cost. Aggressiveness in removing the ventilator, however, must be balanced• against the possibility that premature discontinuation may occur. Premature discontinuation carries its own set of problems, including difficulty in re-establishing artificial airways and compromised gas exchange (Manthous, 2000).