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Ventilator

A ventilator is a machine that helps a person breathe or breathes for the person, controlling and monitoring the amounts of air and oxygen flowing into the person's lungs. Ventilators may be used for people who have serious breathing conditions such as asthma, cystic fibrosis, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Doctors typically attach a ventilator to a tube they have inserted into the person's windpipe (trachea) through the person's mouth or nose. If the person needs the ventilator for a long period of time, the surgeon may make an opening directly in the trachea (tracheostomy) and place the tube through this opening.

 
 

PeaceHealth endeavors to provide comprehensive health care information, however some topics in this database describe services and procedures not offered by our providers or within our facilities because they do not comply with, nor are they condoned by, the ethics policies of our organization.