REVIEW Comparison between technical parameters recommended by regulatory agencies and relevant institutions for ventilatory therapy equipment used in patients with COVID-19 Daniel Baldoino de Souza 1 & Fernanda Vieira Frondana 2 & Fábia Diniz Silva 3 Received: 5 August 2020 /Accepted: 9 February 2021 # Sociedade Brasileira de Engenharia Biomedica 2021 Abstract Background Patients contaminated with the new coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, and who develop the severe form of the disease require ventilatory support to maintain adequate gas exchange. The objective of this systematic review was to establish reference parameters of ventilator therapy used in the various levels of severity of adult patients affected by COVID-19 to assist health professionals and hospital managers who will purchase this equipment. Methods It used four databases: Medline, Cochrane Central, Scielo, and Pubmed. Restrictions applied as to the language, restricted to English, and to the patient’s profile, only adults affected by SARS-CoV-2. The review process was carried out by three independent reviewers using the PRISMA-P method. Results Nineteen articles were included, in addition to the recommendations of the Brazilian Association of Intensive Care Medicine (Brazil), Federal Commission for Protection against Health Risks (Mexico), Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (UK), Pan American Health Organization, and World Health Organization. The types of ventilatory therapies found in the articles eligible for this study were continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), non-invasive ventilation (NIV), and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV). For each ventilatory therapy, the parameters presented in the article and the recommen- dations of regulatory agencies and relevant institutions were compared and analyzed. Conclusion It was possible to suggest a relationship between the respiratory support strategy adopted by the clinical team and the clinical conditions of the patient infected with SARS-CoV-2. The included studies used ventilation modes and parameters within the specifications and recommendations of relevant regulatory agencies and institutions. However, some minor differences were observed in the instruction presented among the agencies more related to the recommended ventilation modes. Further studies are needed. Keywords COVID19 . Non-invasive ventilator . Invasive ventilator . Mechanical ventilator support . Artificial respiratory Introduction A new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) was identified in Wuhan province, China, in December 2019, and on March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization declared a state of a pandemic for coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) (Cucinotta and Vanelli 2020; Ducharme 2020). Virus transmission occurs mainly by contact and respiratory droplets (World Health Organization (WHO) 2020a). Based on epidemiological evi- dence (World Health Organization (WHO) 2020b), it was identified that its incubation period could vary between one and 14 days, being more frequent from five to six days (Lima 2020). The main clinical manifestations observed are fever, fatigue, and dry cough (Lima 2020 ; World Health Organization (WHO) 2020b). However, in critical conditions * Daniel Baldoino de Souza danielufu@gmail.com 1 Centre for Innovation and Technology Assessment in Health, Postgraduate Program in Electrical and Biomedical Engineering, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Federal University of Uberlândia, Uberlândia, Brazil 2 Health Science Center, Postgraduate Program in Health Management and Innovation, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal, Brazil 3 Pneumology Division, Heart Institute at Clinical Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil https://doi.org/10.1007/s42600-021-00127-6 / Published online: 17 February 2021 Research on Biomedical Engineering (2021) 37:375–388