Mechanical Ventilation CEU Courses for Respiratory Therapists

A review of principles of respiratory life support. Focus will be on goals of mechanical support to include effective gas exchange and avoidance of ventilator induced lung injury.

Review the basics of ventilator waveforms, including time scalars and loops. Discuss interventions with abnormal waveforms.

This introductory course introduces mechanical ventilation concepts, including lung mechanics related to resistance and compliance. Evidence-based methods for respiratory mechanics measurement are discussed, along with identifying early signs of pulmonary deterioration and best practice goals for management.

This course explores the intricacies of advanced monitoring techniques essential for optimizing patient care during mechanical ventilation. In this comprehensive course, we delve into various methods for monitoring during mechanical ventilation and examine the evidence supporting newer monitoring techniques.

This course explores Standardized Education for Ventilatory Assistance (SEVA), a groundbreaking program designed to bridge the growing knowledge gap in ventilator technology, taking learners from novice to advanced expertise. This standardized approach integrates physics, physiology, and technology, providing a comprehensive platform to elevate healthcare providers' skills in mechanical ventilation.

Interpreting ventilator graphics can yield valuable real-time data in patients undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation. This course demystifies the complexities of troubleshooting changes in compliance and elastance using ventilator scalars.

Mechanical ventilator alarms are vital for monitoring patients and the ventilator's status. The Joint Commission addresses this patient safety issue by including alarm safety as a National Patient Safety Goal. The course reviews alarm fatigue occurring when practitioners ignore important alerts, risking harm to patients, and it is crucial to set them correctly based on patient conditions and standards to ensure safety.

Auto-PEEP, or Auto-Positive End-Expiratory Pressure, In respiratory therapy, is a critical phenomenon where insufficient time is allowed for complete exhalation, leading to an accumulation of air in the lungs before the next breath, potentially causing complications such as barotrauma and compromising oxygenation. The introductory course explores the determination of Auto-PEEP using extended methods, providing insights into the research on its identification and potential treatment measures.

Mechanical power pertains to the energy applied to the lungs of mechanically ventilated patients. We discuss approaches to minimizing mechanical power and the sequelae of excessive mechanical power.

The essence of weaning is that critically-ill patients can resume unassisted breathing when minute ventilation demands and mechanical disturbances in the pulmonary system improve enough that their respiratory muscles can handle increased workloads without developing fatigue. Therefore, this lecture explains how respiratory muscle physiology is impacted by pulmonary disease and also how ventilator strategies either facilitate or stymie weaning. Both aspects are essential for clinicians to master the art of weaning.