Patent ID: 7210478

Claim:
A method for monitoring ventilatory support for a patient having an airway, wherein said method comprises: (1) providing a monitoring system comprising: (a) at least one sensor adapted to monitor the patient, or to monitor a breathing circuit coupled to the airway of the patient, each sensor generating an output signal, and (b) a processing subsystem adapted to receive the at least one of the output signals, wherein the processing subsystem has a processor and a memory and is adapted to run under control of a program stored in the memory, wherein the processing subsystem evaluates at least one output signal to determine a desired setting for at least one ventilation parameter; (2) receiving into the processing subsystem at least one of the output signals; (3) implementing the processing subsystem to evaluate the at least one output signal to assess the ventilatory support provided to the patient; and (4) recommending, without the need for clinician input, the desired setting for at least one ventilation parameter based on the evaluation of the at least one output signal by the processing subsystem.