Respiratory Mechanics

Today's management of the ventilated patient still relies on the measurement of old parameters such as airway pressures and flow. Graphical presentations reveal the intricacies of patient-ventilator interactions in times of supporting the patient on the ventilator instead of fully ventilating the heavily sedated patient. This opens a new pathway for several bedside technologies based on basic physiologic knowledge; however, it may increase the complexity of measurements. The spread of the COVID-19 infection has confronted the anesthesiologist and intensivist with one of the most severe pulmonary pathologies of the last decades. Optimizing the patient at the bedside is an old and newly required skill for all physicians in the intensive care unit, supported by mobile technologies such as lung ultrasound and electrical impedance tomography. This review summarizes old knowledge and presents a brief insight into extended monitoring options.