Optimizing Mechanical Ventilation: A Clinical and Practical Bedside Method for the Identification and Management of Patient–Ventilator Asynchronies in Critical Care

The prompt identification and correction of patient–ventilator asynchronies (PVA) remain a cornerstone for ensuring the quality of respiratory failure treatment and the prevention of further injury to critically ill patients. These disruptions, whether due to over- or under-assistance, have a profound clinical impact not only on the respiratory mechanics and the mortality associated with mechanical ventilation but also on the patient’s cardiac output and hemodynamic profile. Strong evidence has demonstrated that these frequently occurring and often underdiagnosed events have significant prognostic value for mechanical ventilation outcomes and are strongly associated with prolonged ICU stays and hospital mortality. Halting the consequences of PVA relies on the correct identification and approach of its underlying causes. However, this often requires advanced knowledge of respiratory physiology and the evaluation of complex ventilator waveforms in patient–ventilator interactions, posing a challenge to intensive care practitioners, in particular, those less experienced. This review aims to outline the most frequent types of PVA and propose a clinical algorithm to provide physicians with a structured approach to assess, accurately diagnose, and correct PVA.