ABSTRACT
The survey was perfomed during the month of march 1998 and concerned 9 ICUs located in teraching hospitals. Tp be included each ICU had to MV for more than 12 hours were included in the study and had a 28 day follow-up in the ICU or until hospital discharge. Collected parameters were indications of MV, modalities of MV and of weaning, complication and outcome at ospoital discharge. Assist-control ventilation was the most used ventilation modality [69,8%]. Weaning of MV was performed in 63% of the study patients and was based on a once-a-day attempt of spontaneous breathing through a T-piece [59,5%] and a combination of intermittent mandatory ventilation with pressure support [IMV-PS: 27%] or pressure support alone [11,2%]. Mean lenght of hospital stay was 19,7 +/- 15,9 days of which 11,6 days were spent in the ICU. Fifty nine pateints [54%] were alive at discharge form the ICU of whom 4 ultimately died during their hospital stay. MV pratice as well as ICU facilities are not homogenous in Tunisia. Recommendations and guidelines should be buil in order to standardize MV practice in Tunisia