Patent ID: 8202226

Claim:
A method of optimizing ventilation parameters for a patient, the method comprising: (a) using an artificial ventilator to artificially ventilate a lung of a patient; (b) setting a first ventilation parameter at an initial value; (c) placing the patient in a first position; (d) obtaining a first value of a first physiological parameter when the first ventilation parameter is at the initial value and the patient is in the first position; (e) varying the first ventilation parameter to a subsequent value; (f) obtaining a second value of the first physiological parameter when the first ventilation parameter is at the subsequent value; (g) placing the patient in a second position; (h) obtaining a third value of the first physiological parameter when the patient is in the second position; and (i) calculating a minimum value of a cost function to determine an optimum value for the first ventilation parameter and for the position of the patient, wherein the cost function is calculated using the initial and subsequent values of the first ventilation parameter, the first and second positions of the patient, and the first, second and third values of the first physiological parameter.