Ventilators: Babies in the NICU sometimes need extra help to breathe. The infant is connected to the ventilator (or breathing machine) via an endotracheal tube (a plastic tube that's placed into the windpipe through the mouth or nose). Babies who've been in the NICU for a prolonged stay - months at a time- may have a tracheostomy (a plastic tube inserted directly into the trachea) that's connected to the ventilator on the other end. There are many different kinds of ventilators - different situations call for different machines - but they all accomplish the same basic purpose: to help your child breathe.
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