Ventilator/Ventilator Support - Who Needs a Ventilator? - Who Needs a Ventilator?

You may need a ventilator in an emergency if a condition makes it difficult to breathe on your own (called respiratory failure). You may also need a ventilator during surgery.

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Respiratory failure

Respiratory failure can be a life-threatening emergency. When you can\u2019t breathe well, your organs cannot get enough oxygen to work. Sometimes, too much carbon dioxide, a waste gas from your body\u2019s cells, can build up in your blood. This needs to be breathed out.

Many conditions and injuries can affect your breathing. Examples include:

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
Head injury or stroke
Asthma
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) or other lung diseases
Drug overdose
Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, which are breathing problems that affect newborns, especially premature babies.
Pneumonia
Sepsis, which is an infection in your bloodstream
Spinal cord injuries, polio, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), myasthenia gravis, and other diseases or factors that affect the nerves and muscles involved in breathing
Sudden cardiac arrest

Surgery

You may need a ventilator if you are going to have surgery with general anesthesia (medicine that makes you sleepy and stops you from feeling pain). The medicines used for anesthesia can affect your normal breathing. A ventilator helps control your breathing.