Ventilator SettingsStart here
Ventilator Settings: EMS Cheat Sheet & Guide
Ventilator settings for EMS and transport crews: IBW, tidal volume, rate, PEEP, and FiO2 with plain-text math, a cheat-sheet table, and worked examples.
Ventilation and airway guides
Working references on ventilator settings, tidal volume calculation, lung-protective ventilation, and RSI, written for the clinicians who manage vents in the field and at the bedside.
Ventilator Settings
15 guides
Ventilator Settings
6 vs 8 mL/kg Tidal Volume: Where to Start
6 vs 8 mL/kg tidal volume for adults, compared by source and population: what ARDSNet proved, where 8 is legitimate, and what the rate does when you switch.
Ventilator Settings
Actual vs Ideal Body Weight for Tidal Volume
Actual vs ideal body weight for tidal volume: why adult vent settings run on height and sex, what actual weight does to the breath, and what to verify.
Ventilator Settings
ARDSnet Protocol Settings: PEEP/FiO2 Tables
ARDSnet protocol settings in HTML for adult ARDS: both PEEP/FiO2 tables cell for cell, the tidal volume step-down, and the plateau and pH rules, each sourced.
Ventilator Settings
What Is FiO2 on a Ventilator? Range and Weaning
What FiO2 on a ventilator means: the 21-100% oxygen setting, why it starts at 100% after intubation, and how fast to wean it to your SpO2 target.
Ventilator Settings
What Is PEEP on a Ventilator? Where to Start
What PEEP on a ventilator does, the number adults usually start at, when to go higher in ARDS, what it costs your blood pressure, and how to spot auto-PEEP.
Ventilator Settings
Ventilator Modes Explained: AC, SIMV, PS, CPAP
Ventilator modes explained for EMS and transport: AC, SIMV, pressure support, pressure control, CPAP and BiPAP in one table, with what each one sets.
Ventilator Settings
Dead Space Ventilation: Types, EtCO2, and Rate
Dead space ventilation is the share of each breath that never reaches gas exchange. Compare anatomic, alveolar, and circuit dead space, and read the EtCO2 gap.
Ventilator Settings
Devine Formula: Ideal Body Weight for the Vent
The Devine formula: 50 kg for men or 45.5 kg for women, plus 2.3 kg per inch over 5 feet. Where it came from, and why adult vent settings run on it.
Ventilator Settings
Driving Pressure on a Ventilator: Under 15
Driving pressure on a ventilator is plateau minus PEEP, kept under 15 cm H2O per StatPearls. How to read it, why total PEEP matters, and how to bring it down.
Ventilator Settings
Initial Ventilator Settings After RSI for EMS
Initial ventilator settings after RSI: the first 10 minutes on the vent, why the weight basis switches from actual to ideal, and what to verify next.
Ventilator Settings
Ventilator Respiratory Rate Setting, Explained
The ventilator respiratory rate setting is a floor, not the delivered rate. Compare set and total rate, spot patient triggering, and protect exhalation in COPD.
Ventilator Settings
I:E Ratio on a Ventilator: Normal vs COPD
I:E ratio on a ventilator: 1:2 to 1:3 with normal lungs, 1:4 or longer in COPD and asthma. How to calculate it, change it, and keep auto-PEEP off.
Ventilator Settings
Minute Ventilation Formula: Ve = Vt x RR
The minute ventilation formula, Ve = Vt x RR, worked with sourced values, then run backward to derive respiratory rate from a Ve target. Free app included.
Ventilator Settings
Tidal Volume Calculator: Devine IBW Chart
A tidal volume calculator built on the Devine formula and ideal body weight, with a full height-to-Vt chart, worked examples, and a free iOS/Android app.
RSI Meds & Doses
8 guides
RSI Meds & DosesStart here
RSI Medications: Adult Doses and Field Workflow
RSI medications for adult patients: induction agents, paralytics, mg/kg starting doses on actual body weight, and the post-intubation sedation handoff.
RSI Meds & Doses
Actual vs Ideal Body Weight for RSI Drug Doses
Actual vs ideal body weight for RSI drug doses in adults: what each agent's label and obesity studies say, why sources split, and how your protocol decides.
RSI Meds & Doses
Induction Agent vs Paralytic: Which Goes First
Induction agent vs paralytic in adult RSI: what each drug does, what the evidence says on which goes first, and why the paralytic outlasts sedation.
RSI Meds & Doses
Ketamine RSI Dose: 2 mg/kg and When It's Lower
Ketamine RSI dose for adults: where the 2 mg/kg figure comes from, the weight it runs on, and what sources say about lower doses in older or shocked patients.
RSI Meds & Doses
Ketamine vs Etomidate RSI: 2025 ED/ICU Trial
Ketamine vs etomidate for adult RSI: what the 2025 ED and ICU trial found on mortality and blood pressure, and what it cannot tell an EMS crew.
RSI Meds & Doses
Rocuronium RSI Dose: 1 mg/kg and Its Duration
Rocuronium RSI dose for adults: where 1 mg/kg sits in the label's 0.6 to 1.2 mg/kg range, the weight it runs on, and why its duration shapes sedation.
RSI Meds & Doses
Rocuronium vs Succinylcholine for RSI: Evidence
Rocuronium vs succinylcholine for adult RSI: label doses, onset, duration, contraindications, and what the Cochrane review and trials found.
RSI Meds & Doses
Normal ETT Cuff Pressure: 20-30 cm H2O (15-22 mmHg)
Normal ETT cuff pressure for a ventilated adult is 20-30 cm H2O, about 15-22 mmHg. What too low and too high cause, how to check it with a manometer, and when to recheck.
Ventilator Troubleshooting
7 guides
Ventilator TroubleshootingStart here
Ventilator Alarms: Causes and Field Fixes
Ventilator alarms for EMS and transport crews: what each alarm means, the causes to check in order, and why the fix is at the patient, not the vent.
Ventilator Troubleshooting
Ventilator Handoff: What to Report and Document
Ventilator handoff report for EMS and transport: the settings, the tube, the pressure and EtCO2 trend, and every change, said in order and written down.
Ventilator Troubleshooting
Plateau Pressure Normal Range: Under 30 cm H2O
Plateau pressure normal range for a ventilated adult: at or under 30 cm H2O per ARDSNet. How to measure it with an inspiratory hold and what a high Pplat means.
Ventilator Troubleshooting
High Pressure Alarm on a Ventilator: What to Do
A high pressure alarm on a ventilator means something is resisting the breath. The checks in order, the hold that splits tube from lung, and transport causes.
Ventilator Troubleshooting
Post-Intubation Checklist for EMS Transport
Post-intubation checklist for EMS: the tube, circuit, settings and sedation checks to run before you move an intubated adult, and again after every move.
Ventilator Troubleshooting
Post-Intubation Hypoxia: A DOPES Walkthrough
Post-intubation hypoxia, worked in order: disconnect and bag first, then DOPES, with the field checks a two-person crew can actually run in a moving truck.
Ventilator Troubleshooting
Post-Intubation Ventilator Management for EMS
Post-intubation ventilator management for EMS and transport: what to verify after the tube, which numbers to recheck, and when a change means trouble.
Respiratory Reference
1 guide
Respiratory ReferenceStart here
Normal Ventilator Values: EMS Reference Card
Normal ventilator values for adult patients: tidal volume, PEEP, plateau and peak pressure, EtCO2, ABG and VBG ranges, and the RASS scale, each with its source.
