The Ventilator Book

by William Owens

"The Ventilator Book" is a concise reference for physicians, medical students, advanced practice providers, nurses, and respiratory therapists who are working in the Intensive Care Unit. Dr. William Owens explains, in clear language, the basics of respiratory failure and mechanical ventilation. This is a guide to keep in your jacket pocket, call room, or in the ICU.

The second edition includes new chapters on capnography and acid-base problem solving, ventilator weaning protocols, and is updated to reflect current medical evidence. Conventional and unconventional modes of ventilation are examined and explained. PEEP, flow, ventilator liberation, and the care of the patient with prolonged respiratory failure are also covered. The goal of "The Ventilator Book" is to make difficult concepts easy to understand.

Conventional medical textbooks are great references, but they are heavy and can't be easily carried around by clinicians who are busy taking care of patients. They also are written to be an exhaustive, authoritative reference, which means that they often contain far more information than what you need at the bedside to help with a difficult case. "The Ventilator Book" has enough information to teach anyone about mechanical ventilation, but not so much that reading it becomes intimidating.

Genres: Medical, Medicine, Nursing, Nonfiction

136 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2012

Reviews

[Misha Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Did not understand vents at all before reading this. It was super concise and very helpful. Lots of practical/useful information for actual practice in the first half and a lot of physiology concepts in the second half.

[Victor · Rating 4 out of 5]

for its price and length there's no excuse not to have read it if you've ever ventured near any critical care unit in any capacity. like other reviewers have noted, I didn't learn anything new (I'm a junior surgical resident who already finished his icu rotations), and it covers all the bases, but it's quite minimalistic in its approach and coverage which is awesome when it's 3 am and just need some numbers to give your rt before your first abg but it doesn't replace a good critical care textbook. think of it as Maxwell's for the vent.

[David Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great introductory book; I think any trainee would learn something after reading this. It's evidence-based and should align with practice of any modern intensive care unit, though the author likes to sprinkle some "how I personally do this" into each chapter. He does a good job explaining how the ventilator is a supportive, not curative, device that can harm patients if we are not careful in how we use them.

[Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great source of info of you work with ventilators

[bee · Rating 5 out of 5]

As an RT, this book overall is fantastic, a little outdated in certain terms / modes but overall great!

[Dane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thorough and dense. Helpful explanations of VV/VA ECMO in addition to the fundamentals of ventilatory support. Will definitely be referencing this book as a guide in the future.

[Kevin An · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in prelude to reading the pocket ICU book in preparation for my ICU rotation. I felt the book was easy enough to read but also taught important details. With that being said, the book is probably best suited for a specific demographic, senior medical students interested in ICU or who have plans to do an ICU related specialty or junior residents who plan to rotate on the ICU. Anyone more experienced would have less to learn and anyone more junior would not understand the book. It serves as a review at times and teaches new points at times but I think it really is for a specific audience.

Otherwise, some points of improvement. I feel like the ABG chapter could be moved up ahead, it was placed awkwardly in between chapters explaining the various ventilators. It would also be nice if there were more pictures. All in all, a worthy read.

[Damilola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very straightforward ventilator book primary catered to the adult population. As a pediatric clinician, I could not appreciate many of the nuances of the book but the tone of the book is very friendly and straightforward. I would have appreciated better/more visuals that on foundational physiological ideas. I have sought to supplement this with Educational MedYoutube. The quest to learning more on this continues.

[John W Mah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise yet comprehensive review of basic and some complex ventilator strategies and concepts. Definitely picked up a few things from this book. Recommend this for beginners and even medical professionals with advanced knowledge for an excellent review.

[Alberto Baltazar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great informative book.

[Greg Whitcher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for students and interns on any ICU rotation. Clear and concise. Perfect introduction to not only the ventilator but critical care in general.

[Miguel Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rereading this book in April of 2020 in preparation for my critical care shifts during the COVID-19 epidemic.

[K.K. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very basic

[BookNerd4Life · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone needing to learn and understand mechanical ventilation. The first couple of chapters are all that is needed when in school.

[Lauren Geisel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent resource for ventilator and acid base management in the ICU.

[Jesse Kelso · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not something to be taken as dogma for everything, but does a really good job of outlining the basics and a good reference book to have around

[Alex Cobb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good overview for anyone that spends time working in an ICU!

[Deborah Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might be the most boring book you’ve ever read IF you’ve never worked with vents

[Victor Yamada Razuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent read for residents

Concise and easy to understand overview of vents and how to manage. Also other aspects of vent care such as extubation and getting people off.

[Nick Goodmanson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise and useful

This guide provides a succinct review of key topics in mechanical ventilation use. The first section is a great little primer on troubleshooting the ventilator. Of course, you're going to have to go to your favorite critical care textbook (or Tobin's tome on all things mechanical ventilation) for more nuanced discussions of these topics. Give this a read before your ICU rotation!

[Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

An appreciated talk about the mechanical ventilation, a nice approach to such subject.
Still, It isn't very decisive, and put in mind it needs some background of respiratory physiology.
The (How to guide) could me more informative.
Real case scenarios would be a very nice complementary subject.

Well, I can consider it as a step up to a more detailed and comprehensive titles.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very simple guide to mechanical ventilation. A good source for ICU & ER nurses & residents. Review material for RTs. I can honestly say that I learned nothing which is probably a good thing ;)

[Drhungicu · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tks