Minute Ventilation + Target-PaCO2 Rate
Minute ventilation and gas-exchange targets: minute ventilation (V̇E, L/min) = respiratory rate x tidal volume.
Open the calculator → Runs in your browser. Data leaves only if you deliberately send a problem report from the interactive tool.
Example
- Respiratory rate
- 16 /min
- Tidal volume
- 450 mL
- Current PaCO2
- 60 mmHg
- Target PaCO2
- 40 mmHg
Result: Minute ventilation 7.2 L/min; rate to reach the target is 24/min.
The tool opens with these values already filled in. Replace them with your own.
What you enter
- Respiratory rate
- Tidal volume
- Ideal body weight (optional, for alveolar ventilation)
- Current PaCO2 (optional)
- Target PaCO2 (optional)
How this is calculated
Respiratory physiology (Marino PL, The ICU Book, 4th ed., 2014): VE = RR x tidal volume; alveolar ventilation subtracts dead space (~2.2 mL/kg IBW, West, Respiratory Physiology). PaCO2 is proportional to 1/alveolar ventilation, so the rate to a target PaCO2 scales with the current/target ratio.
A reference and educational tool. Not medical, legal, or financial advice, and not a substitute for clinician judgment.