First Things First (assess & treat for the following)

• For the majority of ICU patients, weaning from mechanical ventilation is easily accomplished after the underlying disorder that produced acute respiratory failure has been adequately treated. COROLLARY: Don’t attempt weaning until shock is resolved, organ failure is stable to resolving, infection source control is achieved, and so forth.
• Only a small minority of patients require prolonged ventilator weaning, and this is usually due to weakness and debilitation.
• Proper sedation and delirium management leads to expedited ventilator weaning.