Context : Mechanical ventilation is an essential element in the management of chronic as well as acute respiratory failure allowing an improvement of both mortality and morbidity. However, considering the wide choice of ventilators available on the market, it has become increasingly difficult to choose the most appropriate ventilator according to the pathology presented by a patient, patients being able to try only a limited number of devices. Patient-ventilator synchronization is a crucial part of ventilation efficacy and its success. It depends on both the physiopathological characteristics of patients and specific properties of the ventilation device.