ventilator
n. C1 Advanced US //ˈvɛnəˌɫeɪtɝ// UK //vˈɛntɪlˌeɪtɐ// ven·ti·la·tor
n. a machine that helps a person breathe when they cannot do it on their own. It is often used in hospitals for patients with serious breathing problems.
n. a mechanical device that assists or replaces spontaneous breathing by moving air into and out of the lungs. Often used in clinical contexts to describe life-support equipment.
The patient is on a ventilator to help him breathe.
Doctors placed the patient on a ventilator after his lungs failed to respond to oxygen therapy.
Modern intensive care units are equipped with advanced ventilators that can adjust pressure levels to protect the delicate alveoli in a patient's lungs during recovery.
From ventilate + -or; cf. Latin ventilator.