Synchronized Intermittent Mechanical Ventilation vs Open Lung Ventilation With Spontaneous Respiration

The purpose of this study is to collect data on patients who are on breathing machines (ventilators) in the Trauma Surgical Intensive Care Unit (TSICU). This data may help us to determine if one form of assisted breathing is better than another. The two forms of assisted breathing being compared in this study are called BiVent and SIMV. (7) BiVent and SIMV are both delivered by a ventilator but differ in how they assist breathing. SIMV is an older form of mechanical breathing that blows air into the lungs to inflate the lungs. BiVent is a newer form of mechanical ventilation that permits the patient to pull air into the lungs as we normally do. Both BiVent and SIMV are currently being used on a regular basis in the TSICU. The investigators hope that this study will determine if one method of assisted breathing is better than another in preventing complications associated with mechanically assisted breathing.