Mean Airway Pressure (Pₘₐw)

Mean airway pressure, square-wave approximation (Marini 1992): [(PIP·Ti) + (PEEP·Te)] / (Ti + Te) in cmH₂O.

Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.

Example

Peak inspiratory pressure
30 cmH₂O
PEEP
5 cmH₂O
Inspiratory time
1 s
Expiratory time
2 s

Result: Mean airway pressure 13.3 cmH₂O (PIP 30, PEEP 5).

The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.

What the result means

Use
A determinant of mean alveolar pressure and oxygenation; it feeds the oxygenation index.

What you enter

  • Peak inspiratory pressure (PIP)
  • PEEP
  • Inspiratory time (Ti)
  • Expiratory time (Te)
How this is calculated
Formula
Pₘₐw = [(PIP·Ti) + (PEEP·Te)] / (Ti + Te), the square-wave approximation.

Marini JJ, Ravenscraft SA. Mean airway pressure: physiologic determinants and clinical importance — Part 1: physiologic determinants and measurements. Crit Care Med. 1992;20(11):1604-1616. Read the source ↗

A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.

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Built by Clay Good. Source on GitHub.