intermittent mandatory ventilation

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intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) (man-dăt-eri) n. a form of assisted respiration in which the patient breathes at his or her normal rate but is assisted by a ventilator set to deliver a fixed volume of air at a specified rate. IMV is often used to help patients to cease to rely on mechanical ventilation. synchronized i. m. v. (SIMV) intermittent mandatory ventilation synchronized with the patient's own efforts.