By improving patient-ventilator interaction and allowing use of a non-invasive patient-ventilator interface, neural control of mechanical ventilators has the potential to significantly reduce ventilator-related complications, reduce the incidence of lung injury, facilitate weaning from mechanical ventilation, and decrease the duration of stay in the intensive care unit and overall hospitalization. These issues can be addressed in future randomized clinical trials in the case that the present short-term work has a positive outcome.