Key Points:

• 💨 Master the 3 Types of Breaths
  Control, Assist, and Spontaneous — know the difference before tackling ventilator modes.
• 📦 Breath Delivery: Volume vs. Pressure
  Volume-Targeted = fixed volume → monitor pressure
  📈 Pressure-Targeted = fixed pressure → monitor volume
• 🫁 Lung Compliance = Pressure-Volume Relationship
  Volume mode: ↑ pressure = ↓ compliance (stiff lungs)
  Pressure mode: ↓ tidal volume = ↓ compliance
• 🏋️‍♂️ Use Analogies to Simplify
  The pull-up analogy makes complex concepts easier to grasp and remember.
• 🧱 Build the Foundation First
  Before diving into complex ventilator modes, get solid on breath types, delivery methods, and lung mechanics.

Introduction:
For many medical residents, the ICU can feel like stepping into a pressure cooker. At the heart of that stress often lies one intimidating machine: the ventilator. Rather than diving headfirst into complex ventilator modes, this episode lays a critical foundation by breaking down the basic building blocks of mechanical ventilation, something every clinician should master before moving on to more advanced concepts. Once you know the 3 types of breaths and how those breaths are delivered, you can more easily understand most of the mechanical ventilator modes. 

• Placing an IO in a bone with a proximal fracture, a previous IO placement attempt or any circulatory compromise proximal to the site is contraindicated
• Blood work drawn from an IO are generally not accurate, so once the patient has been resuscitated with the IO, intravenous blood draws are recommended
• Dislodgement is common; it is best to use the stabilizer that comes with the IO kit; if the kit does not have a stabilizer, stack lots of gauze on both sides of the IO needle and tape it down

• While proximal humerus site portents faster infusion rates than proximal tibia site, the main limitation of the proximal humerus site is that the arm must be held in internal rotation to avoid dislodgement of the IO
• Proximal tibia may be easier to landmark than proximal humerus
• Other sites include distal tibia, distal femur and sternum but are uncommonly employed in EDs