REBEL Core Cast 143.0–Ventilators Part 3: Oxygenation & Ventilation — Mastering the Balance on the Ventilator

🗝️ Key Points

• ❌ Don’t chase perfect numbers: Adequate and safe is often better than “perfect but harmful.”
• 💨 Oxygenation levers: Start with FiO₂ and PEEP, but remember MAP is the true driver.
• 🫁 Ventilation levers: Adjust RR and TV, tailored to underlying physiology.
• 🚫 Watch your obstructive patients: Sometimes less RR is more.

📝 Introduction

When you take the airway, you take the wheel and you now control the patient’s oxygenation and ventilation. In this REBEL Crit episode, Dr. Lodeserto and Dr. Acker walk through the physiology, ventilator strategies, and clinical curveballs that separate calm control from chaos at the bedside.