To ascertain if your patient is ready to wean, you'll need to first assess how well he's healing from the underlying disease or condition that originally mandated MV, such as sepsis, pneumonia, or myocardial ischemia. A patient who has pneumonia, for instance, is ready to wean if he's stable on antibiotics, has a normal temp, has vitals within normal limits with minimal or no use of pressors, and he's able to cough up secretions.