Ethical issues in cardiac arrest and acute cardiac care: a European perspective

The respiratory system is key to the management of patients with respiratory, as well as haemodynamic, compromise and should be monitored. The ventilator is more than just a machine that delivers gas; it is a true respiratory system monitoring device, allowing the measurement of airway pressures and intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure and the plotting of pressure/volume curves. For effective and reliable monitoring, it is necessary to keep in mind the physiology, such as the alveolar gas equation, heart-lung interactions, the equation of movement, etc. Monitoring the respiratory system enables adaptation of not only respiratory management, but also haemodynamic management.