The proposed method aims at improved ventilatory care with reduced morbidity. It combines two important aspects of mechanical ventilation: gas exchange and lung mechanics. A single criterion was selected as optimization index of lung trauma: peak respiratory power (PRP) defined as the maximum product of pressure times flow during inspiration. Arterial blood gases reflect gas exchange and constitute the constraints of the problem. The constraints as well as the optimization index are expressed as linear functions of the input variables (frequency of breathing, tidal volume, and positive end expiratory pressure). A linear programming approach can therefore be used to determine the values of input variables that minimize PRP and at the same time keep arterial blood gases within the prescribed limits. The coefficients of the constraints and the optimization index equation are found by manipulating input variables in order to obtain four different values of PaO2, PaCO2 and PRP (there are four coefficients in each equation). The coefficients can then be calculated and the optimization procedure run. In a pilot study 5 patients suffering from diseases of varying pulmonary pathology were investigated with this method. In 4 out of 5 the ventilator treatment improved in terms of blood gas values (mean increase in PaO2 was 4.7%) and reduction of mechanical load on the lungs (mean PRP reduction was 20%). Lower PRP is accompanied by lower mean power and pressure values, which results in increased cardiac output. Presently, the main problem is the time it takes to determine the patient coefficients (approx one hour), a procedure that needs to be simplified.