Ability to Breathe: Definition and Awareness

This continuing education program is accredited and can be taken for either CE accreditation or general learning. If taken for credit, this course provides one contact hour for nurses (California Board of Nursing), RTs (American Association of Respiratory Care), EMS professionals (CAPCE), and CRNAs (American Association of Nurse Anesthetists, B Credit).

Learning Objectives

Work of Breathing (WOB) is the amount of energy or O₂ consumption needed by the respiratory muscles to produce enough ventilation and respiration to meet the metabolic demands of the body. We will use this concept to explore how to use it to help the ventilated patient be liberated from it. In this course, we will:

• Define work of breathing from the patient and ventilator perspectives.
• Apply the concept of titrated ventilator work of breathing balanced with patient’s requirements and abilities.
• Establish goals for liberating a patient from mechanical ventilation with regards to work of breathing and how to measure work of breathing while on a ventilator.