Where Drug Meets Device: A Pharmacist's Role in Mechanical Ventilation

At the conclusion of this continuing education activity, the participant will be able to:

1. Review the principles of mechanical ventilation including settings and modes to understand patient status as it relates to drug therapy

2. Explore different pharmacologic therapies associated with patients on mechanical ventilation

3. Discuss the role of the pharmacist in caring for mechanically ventilated patients

Especially in the era of COVID19, inpatient pharmacists (regardless of role or specialization) are seeing patients that are mechanically ventilated or have recently come off of a ventilator. The ability to have basic understanding of the patient’s ventilator course and apply this to the patient’s current status and medication therapy is becoming an essential skill for all pharmacists. However, this topic is rarely taught in the standard PharmD curriculum and is likely only seen in PGY2 Critical Care programs. As such, a key gap exists for currently practicing pharmacists given the COVID19 related surges in respiratory failure. In this live webinar, the audience will gain a basic introduction to key terminology and concepts associated with mechanical ventilation. Then, a particular focus will be made on the pharmacotherapy specifically associated with mechanical ventilation as well as the results of that therapy after the patient has been extubated. From here, the role of the pharmacist in optimizing safe and effective medication use practices associated with this device will be discussed so that every pharmacist walks away with a basic ‘toolkit’ for understanding this therapy.