Patent ID: 8122885

Claim:
A method of controlling a pressure support ventilator comprising: supplying breathable gas to a patient's airway at a pressure that varies during each respiratory cycle in accordance with an adjustable pressure waveform template having a shape and a variable amplitude, generating data from a flow sensor, determining adequacy of ventilation of the patient from the data generated from the flow sensor, and automatically calculating a change to the amplitude of said pressure waveform template in accordance with the determined adequacy of ventilation and automatically calculating a change to a shape function of said pressure waveform template in accordance with the determined adequacy of ventilation, wherein said changes produce a decrease in ventilatory support and an increase in comfort when the ventilatory support exceeds that required by the patient, and wherein said change to the shape function of said pressure waveform template produces a pressure change between a more square profile and a less square profile.