Mechanical ventilation is a method to mechanically assist or replace spontaneous breathing.

• Intubation, if necessary, inserting a tube into the body. This can include:
  • Through the mouth (e.g. endotracheal tube)
  • Through the skin (e.g. tracheostomy tube)
• Ventilator (i.e. a machine)
• A bag/set of bellows, compressed with the assistance of a medical personnel (i.e. registered nurse, physician, physician assistant, respiratory therapist, paramedic), including:
  • Bag valve mask (aka manual resuscitator), which is a hand held device, used to provide PPV to patients who aren't breathing, or not doing so adequately. It can also be used whe patients rae dependent on mechanical ventilators, and that needs to be exmained for malfunction. It helps to force feed air or oxygen into the lungs in order to inflate them under pressure. It is preferred to mouth to mouth ventilation, either directly or using a pocket mask. If an adult mask is used on a child, use it in the upside down position. Pressure should be sufficient to make the chest rise. 250mL for very small babies, 500mL for infants, and 1.5L for larger children. The mask should be large enough to cover mouth and nose, but not too large to allow air leak. Mask should be held with a C grip, rest of the L hand supporting the airway, and other hand used to squeeze the bag. Ventilation should be given at 12-20bpm depending on the age of the child

• Positive pressure ventilation (PPV), where air (or another gas mix) is pushed into the trachea
• Negative pressure ventilation (NPV), where air is sucked into the lungs

• CPAP