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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2015 Jan 1.
Published in final edited form as: Intensive Care Med. 2013 Oct 17;40(1):1–10. doi: 10.1007/s00134-013-3117-3

Figure 3. Relationship between dyspnea and tidal volume.

Figure 3

Data replotted from Mols et al. [34] (left) and Leung et al. [33] (right). Although the authors of both papers reported a difference in respiratory comfort dependent on ventilator mode, these plots suggest that the main effect of changing mode is to change the tidal volume delivered by the ventilator. Consequent changes in pulmonary stretch receptor activity as well as blood gasses are in the correct direction to explain the observed effects on discomfort ratings.

PAV, proportional assist ventilation; PSV, pressure-support ventilation; IMV, intermittent mandatory volume ventilation; dyspn unassist, unassisted breathing.