Crit Care Resusc
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Multicenter Study
A survey of the use of ventilator hyperinflation in Australian tertiary intensive care units.
To ascertain the prevalence of use of ventilator hyperinflation (VHI) by physiotherapists practising in tertiary Australian intensive care units in the management of artificially ventilated patients, and whether standard protocols are in place in these facilities. ⋯ Our survey provides information on the nature and the extent of VHI utilisation by physiotherapists in Australian tertiary ICUs. These data can now be pooled to develop standardised evidence-based VHI protocols for both spontaneous and controlled ventilation modes.