This disclosure describes systems and methods for configuring a ventilator for providing automatic, periodic ventilator adjustments to stimulate non-triggering patients to begin initiating spontaneous breathing efforts. Based on studies of respiration, a neural signal stimulating spontaneous breathing efforts is initiated when a patient's arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) reaches a certain threshold level, which threshold level may vary from individual to individual. Accordingly, an automatic, periodic ventilator challenge to stimulate spontaneous breathing efforts in a non-triggering patient is provided. An automatic, periodic ventilator challenge refers to an automatic, periodic reduction in the ventilation of a non-triggering patient intended to increase PaCO2 levels within a clinically-acceptable range. By periodically increasing PaCO2 levels, the systems and methods disclosed herein seek to achieve the patient's individual PaCO2 threshold level and, consequently, to evoke a neural signal stimulating spontaneous breathing efforts.
