Mechanical ventilation is a life-critical intervention provided to patients in a wide variety of clinical settings, involving the careful interplay of physiology, pathology, physics and technology. This unique text explains the underlying physiological and technical concepts of ventilation, aided by numerous full colour diagrams, and places these concepts into clinical context with practical examples. Core Topics in Mechanical Ventilation provides a broad and in-depth coverage of key topics encountered in clinical practice, from the initial assessment of the patient to transportation of the ventilated patient and weaning from ventilation. Issues such as sedation, analgesia and paralysis and the management of complications are reviewed, along with a discussion of various ventilation modes and practical advice on patients with pre-existing diseases. Appealing to doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and paramedics, this book is applicable to a wide range of settings including intensive care, anaesthesia, respiratory medicine, acute medicine and emergency medicine.