[Physiotherapy on the mechanically ventilated patients].

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES The II Brazilian Consensus Conference on Mechanical Ventilation was published in 2000. Knowledge on the field of mechanical ventilation evolved rapidly since then, with the publication of numerous clinical studies with potential impact on the ventilatory management of critically ill patients. Moreover, the evolving concept of evidence - based medicine determined the grading of clinical recommendations according to the methodological value of the studies on which they are based. This explicit approach has broadened the understanding and adoption of clinical recommendations. For these reasons, AMIB - Associação de Medicina Intensiva Brasileira and SBPT - Sociedade Brasileira de Pneumologia e Tisiologia - decided to update the recommendations of the II Brazilian Consensus. Physical therapy during mechanical ventilation has been one of the updated topics. This objective was described the most important topics on the physical therapy during mechanical ventilation. METHODS Systematic review of the published literature and gradation of the studies in levels of evidence, using the key words: mechanical ventilation and physical therapy. RESULTS Recommendations on the most important techniques applied during mechanical ventilation. CONCLUSIONS Physical therapy has a central role at the Intensive Care environment, mainly in patients submitted to a mechanical ventilatory support invasive or non invasive.