ICU · Nursing education
What do common ICU ventilator terms mean?
Understanding the vocabulary makes a ventilator lesson easier to follow. A glossary is a starting point for study, not a method for choosing settings or responding to alarms.
Separate oxygen, pressure, and volume
FiO₂ describes the oxygen concentration delivered. Tidal volume describes the volume of an individual breath. PEEP refers to positive pressure maintained at the end of exhalation. These terms describe different aspects of support and are not interchangeable.
Distinguish a setting from an observation
A set respiratory rate is not necessarily the patient's total respiratory rate. During study, label each item as a setting, measured value, or patient observation. Avoid treating any single number as a complete assessment.
Build a glossary before a case exercise
Write each term in your own words, then note which concepts you still need to discuss with an educator. Use fictional scenarios to connect terminology; real ventilator management requires supervised training and local protocols.