Course Breakdown:  1.5 Hour Self-Paced Course
Credit Awarded:  1.5 Hours
Credit Type: Advanced
Accredited: CAPCE (F3-Distributive), CE Broker (FL, KY, TN), Pennsylvania Bureau of EMS*, and Virginia Office of EMS(Pending)
Enrollment Period:  One year or until completed, whichever comes first
Topics: Ventilator Management

*PA Bureau of EMS reporting is by Regional Endorsement.

This self-paced comprehensive course explores the principles, physiology, and practice of invasive mechanical ventilation in the critical care transport environment. Designed for advanced-level EMS and critical care providers, the program emphasizes evidence-based strategies to ensure safe, effective, and lung-protective ventilation during ground and air transport.

  • Covers foundational physiology of mechanical ventilation, examining how positive pressure differs from natural respiration and the impact these changes have on circulation and gas exchange.
  • Transitions into the goals of ventilation—balancing oxygenation, carbon dioxide removal, and lung protection—while highlighting the unique challenges of managing these goals in the transport setting.
  • Covers key ventilator parameters such as tidal volume, respiratory rate, fraction of inspired oxygen, and positive end-expiratory pressure, as well as the modes of ventilation including Assist Control, Pressure Control, and Pressure-Regulated Volume Control.
  • Learn to interpret measured values such as peak inspiratory pressure, plateau pressure, compliance, and driving pressure to assess ventilator effectiveness and identify complications.
  • Through case-based examples, learners will apply troubleshooting methods using structured mnemonics and real-world problem-solving to address high or low airway pressures, minute ventilation alarms, and patient-ventilator asynchrony.
  • Special sections address the management of patients with pulmonary hypertension, those supported on extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, and neonatal or infant patients requiring ventilatory support.

By the end of this course, participants will be able to confidently assess, manage, and optimize mechanical ventilation in critically ill patients during transport, integrating physiology, equipment knowledge, and clinical judgment to improve patient outcomes.