Artificial ventilation is a medical procedure that is used to assist or replace the natural breathing process of a patient. This procedure is carried out using mechanical devices that help to deliver air into the lungs of the patient. Artificial ventilation is commonly used in emergency situations where the patient is unable to breathe on their own. In this article, we will explore the definition and meaning of artificial ventilation in detail.
Definitions
Artificial ventilation is defined as the process of delivering air into the lungs of a patient using mechanical devices. This procedure is used to assist or replace the natural breathing process of the patient. Artificial ventilation can be carried out using various devices such as a bag-valve-mask (BVM) or a mechanical ventilator.
Origin
The use of artificial ventilation dates back to ancient times when people used bellows to blow air into the lungs of drowning victims. However, the modern form of artificial ventilation was developed in the 1950s with the invention of the mechanical ventilator.
Meaning in different dictionaries
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, artificial ventilation is defined as “the use of mechanical means to assist or replace spontaneous breathing.” The Oxford English dictionary defines it as “the process of providing air to the lungs of a person who is unable to breathe on their own.”
Associations
Artificial ventilation is commonly associated with emergency medicine, critical care, and anesthesia. It is also used in the management of respiratory failure, acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), and other respiratory conditions.
Synonyms
Some synonyms of artificial ventilation include mechanical ventilation, assisted ventilation, and positive pressure ventilation.
Antonyms
There are no specific antonyms for artificial ventilation, but the opposite of assisted ventilation would be spontaneous breathing.
The same root words
The root words of artificial ventilation are “artificial” and “ventilation.” Artificial means “made or produced by human beings rather than occurring naturally” while ventilation means “the provision of fresh air to a room, building, or confined space.”
Example Sentences
- The patient was put on artificial ventilation after suffering a cardiac arrest.
- The mechanical ventilator was used to provide artificial ventilation to the patient during surgery.
- The paramedics performed artificial ventilation on the unconscious patient to keep them alive until they reached the hospital.