Chart — Transport Respiratory Care
Transport Ventilator vs ICU Ventilator
What you gain and give up when you move a patient from the ICU ventilator to a transport ventilator — feature by feature, with the drive-gas detail that changes your oxygen math.
Written by Apex Respiratory Editorial Team
Educational use only. This material supports respiratory therapy education and exam review. It is not medical advice and is not a substitute for clinical judgment, institutional protocols, or physician orders. Always follow facility policies and current provider orders, and verify calculations independently before clinical use.
Transport vs ICU Ventilator
| Feature | Transport Ventilator | ICU Ventilator |
|---|---|---|
| Power source | Battery and/or pneumatic | Mains electrical power with battery backup |
| Gas / drive source | May be pneumatically driven (consumes O₂ as drive gas) or turbine-based | Wall air + oxygen with internal blender |
| Size / portability | Compact, rugged, lightweight | Large, stationary |
| Modes available | Limited (volume/pressure A/C, SIMV, sometimes CPAP/PS) | Full range including advanced modes |
| Humidification | Usually passive (HME) | Active heated humidifier |
| Graphics / monitoring | Minimal; numeric readouts | Full waveform graphics and detailed monitoring |
| PEEP / pressure support | Basic on many units; advanced on newer turbine models | Fine, fully adjustable |
| Oxygen consumption | Higher if pneumatically driven (drive gas) | Wall-supplied; not cylinder-limited |
| Best setting | Moving the patient; field and inter/intra-facility transport | Sustained ICU support |
How to Use This Chart
Use this chart when planning a patient move from the ICU to transport — or when selecting the right device for inter-facility or intra-facility transfers. The key tradeoffs are power source, drive-gas O₂ consumption, and monitoring capability.
- Drive-gas O₂ consumption.A pneumatically driven transport vent consumes oxygen beyond the patient’s minute ventilation, shortening cylinder duration — recompute the supply before every transport.
- Humidification planning. Plan humidification with an HME because a transport ventilator usually has no heated humidifier; confirm it is in-line before disconnecting from the ICU vent.
- Backup ventilation. Always carry a self-inflating bag-valve device as backup; verify delivered VT and PEEP after switching to the transport vent and again on arrival at the destination.
Related Resources
Sources
- Kacmarek RM, Stoller JK, Heuer AJ. Egan's Fundamentals of Respiratory Care. 12th ed. Elsevier; 2021. Mechanical ventilators.
- Cairo JM. Mosby's Respiratory Care Equipment. 11th ed. Elsevier; 2022. Transport and portable ventilators.