Conventional Mechanical Ventilation (CMV)
What are the benefits of Conventional Mechanical Ventilation (CMV)?
Conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) provides breathing support for infants and children who are too ill or immature to breathe on their own.
At Children's Health℠, we follow a patient-centered model of treatment. By putting the patient first, we bring together all the hospital's resources to meet a child's needs. Critical care physicians work with nurses, respiratory care therapists and others to ensure the best and most innovative treatment is available for each child at a moment's notice.
What to Expect with Conventional Mechanical Ventilation (CMV)?
CMV relies on a bedside machine called a mechanical ventilator. The ventilator supplies oxygen and removes carbon dioxide through a breathing tube placed in the child's windpipe. Physicians and other caregivers can adjust the machine as needed, depending on the child's condition.
Mechanical ventilators mimic normal breathing by pushing a measured amount of gas into a child's lungs at a certain rate. New ventilators can "sense" when a patient is about to take a breath and adjust to the child's natural breathing patterns. In this way, CMV supports, rather than replaces, the patient's breathing.
To provide support for patients with acute life-threatening conditions, Children's has 83 intensive care beds. Children's Pediatric ICU also conducts leading-edge research and brings new therapies to patients — often years before they are available at other institutions. Our critical care physicians deliver a full range of intensive care services for infants and children.
Frequently Asked Questions
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What kind of patients are served by CMV?
Premature infants with certain lung complications often need conventional mechanical ventilation to survive. Other patients who may benefit from CMV include children with the following conditions:
- Pneumonia
- Respiratory distress syndrome
- Lower airway obstructions such as asthma
- Upper airway obstructions from diseases including croup and epiglottitis
- Neuromuscular weakness from diseases including Guillain-Barré syndrome and botulism
- Traumatic brain injury