Mechanical Ventilation: Physiology and PracticeMechanical ventilation is an essential life sustaining therapy for many critically ill patients. As technology has evolved, clinicians have been presented with an increasing number of ventilator options as well as an ever expanding and confusing list of terms, abbreviations, and acronyms. Unfortunately, this has made it extremely difficult for clinicians at all levels of training to truly understand mechanical ventilation and to optimally manage