Monitoring plays an important role in the current management of patients with acute respiratory failure, but sometimes lacks definition regarding which "signals" and "derived variables" should be prioritized as well as specifics related to timing (continuous vs. intermittent) and modality (static vs. dynamic).

Many new techniques of respiratory monitoring have been made available recently for clinical use, but their place is not yet always well defined. Appropriate use of available monitoring techniques and correct interpretation of the data provided can help improve our understanding of the disease processes involved and the effects of clinical interventions.

In this consensus paper, we provide an overview of the important parameters that can and should be monitored in the critically ill ...