In
medicine,
mechanical ventilation is a method to mechanically assist or replace spontaneous
breathing. This may involve a machine called a
ventilator or the breathing may be assisted by a
registered nurse,
physician,
physician assistant,
respiratory therapist,
paramedic, or other suitable person compressing a
bag or set of bellows. Mechanical ventilation is termed "invasive" if it involves any instrument penetrating through the mouth (such as an endo
tracheal tube) or the skin (such as a
tracheostomy tube). There are two main
modes of mechanical ventilation within the two divisions: positive pressure ventilation, where air (or another gas mix) is pushed into the
trachea, and negative pressure ventilation, where air is, in essence, sucked into the lungs.