Towards Precision Monitoring and Therapeutic Interventions in Mechanical Ventilation

TOPICAL COLLECTIONS

Guest Editors

Mayson Sousa

Department of Respiratory Therapy, College of Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Manitoba

Dr. Mayson Sousa is an assistant professor in the Department of Respiratory Therapy at the Rady Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Manitoba. He earned a doctoral degree in respiratory medicine from the University of São Paulo and completed a postdoctoral fellowship in critical care and translational medicine at the University of Toronto. With over a decade of experience in cardiopulmonary care and respiratory physiology, his research integrates experimental and clinical approaches to optimize mechanical ventilation strategies that protect the lungs and respiratory muscles. Dr. Sousa currently leads a research program that evaluates individualized respiratory support for critically ill patients and preclinical models.

Annia Schreiber

Keenan Centre for Biomedical Research; University of Toronto

Dr. Annia Schreiber is a postdoctoral fellow at the Keenan Centre for Biomedical Research, St. Michael’s Hospital, and the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto. She holds a PhD in Medical Sciences from the same university. Her doctoral research centered on respiratory muscle function and prolonged weaning from mechanical ventilation. Dr. Schreiber completed research fellowships at Pierre and Marie Curie University in Paris, France, specializing in lung ultrasound for critically ill patients, and at the University Health Network in Toronto, where he focused on diaphragm ultrasound to aid in ventilator weaning. With over a decade of clinical and research expertise in respiratory care and physiology, she is extensively involved in teaching lung and respiratory muscle ultrasound and coordinating ultrasound training in multicenter clinical trials. Her current research explores the role of the diaphragm and extra-diaphragmatic respiratory muscles during prolonged weaning and investigates novel rehabilitative interventions to facilitate liberation from mechanical ventilation.

Antenor Rodrigues

Keenan Centre for Biomedical Research; University of Toronto

Dr. Antenor Rodrigues is a senior research associate at the Keenan Centre for Biomedical Research, St. Michael’s Hospital, and the Interdepartmental Division of Critical Care Medicine, University of Toronto. He earned a doctoral degree in rehabilitation sciences focusing on respiratory rehabilitation from the State University of Londrina. He also completed a postdoctoral fellowship in respiratory physiology and critical care at the University of Toronto and St. Michael’s Hospital. Dr. Rodrigues’s current research program focuses on understanding normal and abnormal respiratory control determinants, including respiratory drive and respiratory muscle activity, and their relationship with sedation and patient-ventilator interaction during wakefulness and sleep in critically ill patients.

Collection Overview

Accurate and precise respiratory monitoring is essential for optimizing mechanical ventilation and guiding individualized care in critical illness. With the growing complexity of ventilatory support and the increasing availability of advanced monitoring and therapeutic tools, there is a pressing need to standardize, refine, and disseminate methodological approaches across research and clinical practice.

This Methods Collection aims to bring together leading experts and emerging researchers to share validated techniques, innovative methodologies, and practical frameworks for respiratory monitoring and therapeutic interventions in mechanically ventilated patients. We welcome submissions covering a broad spectrum of care, from pre-intubation assessment to post-extubation support, in both adult and pediatric populations.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

Monitoring techniques such as ultrasound, electrical impedance tomography (EIT), ventilator-derived indices, and respiratory mechanics maneuvers
Clinical workflows and decision-support tools for individualized ventilator management
Data acquisition and analysis pipelines with an emphasis on reproducibility
Therapeutic interventions, including respiratory muscle training, mobilization, secretion clearance techniques, and post-extubation care pathways
Integrated approaches combining monitoring and therapy to support ventilator weaning and improve long-term outcomes

All submissions should focus on reproducible methods and visualizable protocols that can inform both research and clinical practice. Ultimately, this collection will serve as a centralized resource for researchers and clinicians working to improve outcomes in mechanically ventilated patients and provide insights to bridge the gap between bench and bedside, helping to shape best practices.