부산대학교 도서관

Summary The evolution of artificial mechanical ventilation has been very influential in the development of respiratory and critical care medicine. Mechanical ventilation is a crucial aspect of resuscitation, intensive care medicine, and anaesthesia. It has evolved from simple mechanically delivered support to advanced, patient-triggered, micro-processor-controlled systems. Progress along this path has furthered the aims of achieving effective life support with reduced risk and increased comfort. Advances in our understanding of respiratory disease and physiology have occurred alongside, and frequently been synergistic with, the evolution of mechanical ventilation. Understanding how mechanical ventilation developed from its earliest stages to its current and future incarnations provides a key underpinning to the understanding of respiratory critical care.