Ventilator Weaning for the Patient with High-Level Tetraplegia
By Johnson, Kelly Grant, Tom Peterson, Peter; Topics in Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation, Kelly ol. 2, No. 3Publication Date: Winter 1997
Weaning the individual with high tetraplegia from mechanical ventilation is a complex process that can best be accomplished by an interdisciplinary team with experience in the unique needs of this population. Although individuals with spinal cord injury below the C3 neurologic level can be weaned successfully, they must be appropriately and carefully evaluated, managed, and monitored. An extensive continuous quality improvement effort leads to the development of protocols for ventilator weaning.1 The protocols utilize the Progressive Ventilator Free Breathing technique, which has been shown to facilitate progression through the wean process and shorten wean times for individuals with high-level tetraplegia.2,3
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