Course Summary

Mechanical ventilation is a life-saving treatment used to support patients unable to ventilate and oxygenate on their own. Mechanically ventilated patients often receive sedation and pain control medication, requiring a qualified interdisciplinary team to administer and evaluate outcomes. The skills required by health teams to manage a ventilation unit are typically standardized to ensure the safe handling of ventilation equipment and for proper management of patients during their course of care. Basic therapeutic modalities of mechanical ventilation and pharmacology needed to support treatment and patient comfort are discussed.

Course Format

Homestudy

Course Syllabus

• Introduction
• Mechanical Ventilation Techniques and Indication
  • Postoperative Respiratory Failure
• Modes of Mechanical Ventilation and Ventilator Settings
• Complications of Mechanical Ventilation
  • Barotrauma, GI Conditions, Oxygen Toxicity, Sinus Infections
  • Ventilator-Associated Lung Injury
  • Ventilator-Associated Pneumonia
• Basic Care for Mechanically Ventilated Patients
  • Suctioning
  • Endotracheal Suctioning
• Sedation During Mechanical Ventilation
  • Benzodiazepines
  • Butyrophenones
  • Dexmedetomidine
  • Ketamine
  • Fentanyl
  • Propofol
• Pain Assessment and Control
• Mental Health Care
• Ventilator Bundles
  • Daily Sedation Interruption
  • Deep Vein Thrombosis Prophylaxis
  • Closed Suctioning and Subglottic Suctioning
  • Peptic Ulcer Prophylaxis
  • Patient Positioning, Enteral Feedings, and Aspiration
• Weaning from Mechanical Ventilation
• Case Study: Ventilated Patient with Malignant Hyperthermia
  • Discussion
• Summary

Authors

Noah H. Carpenter, MD

Dr. Noah Carpenter is a Thoracic and Peripheral Vascular Surgeon. He completed his Bachelor of Science in chemistry and medical school and training at the University of Manitoba. Dr. Carpenter completed surgical residency and fellowship at the University of Edmonton and Affiliated Hospitals in Edmonton, Alberta, and an additional Adult Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery fellowship at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. He has specialized in microsurgical techniques, vascular endoscopy, laser and laparoscopic surgery in Brandon, Manitoba and Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and in Colorado, Texas, and California. Dr. Carpenter has an Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Calgary, and was appointed a Citizen Ambassador to China, and has served as a member of the Indigenous Physicians Association of Canada, the Canadian College of Health Service Executives, the Science Institute of the Northwest Territories, Canada Science Council, and the International Society of Endovascular Surgeons, among others. He has been an inspiration to youth, motivating them to understand the importance of achieving higher education.