Effect of the pressure ramp on the breathing pattern and respiratory drive in pressure support ventilation

Assisted ventilation with pressure support (PS) is one of the most commonly used ventilation modes; however, there is no agreement about the most adequate method to set an optimal level of PS. The aim of our study is to analyze the effect of different pressurization ramps on the work of breathing. This was estimated by the airway occlusion pressure in the first 100 ms of inspiration (P0.1) and by the breathing pattern: the respiratory rate (RR) and tidal volume (TV).