ABSTRACT
As discussed elsewhere in this book, the decision to intubate the asthmatic requires careful clinical assessment. The intubation process has its own risks; once intubated, the patient presents formidable management problems, including the possibility of mortality and morbidity from the complex interaction between the patient and the ventilator. In a real sense, the ventilator is a potentially lethal weapon. This discussion will focus on safe use of the ventilator in these critically ill patients. The first section discusses the physiology of patient-ventilator interaction, and the second emphasizes specific clinical management issues.
