Mechanical ventilation guided by esophageal pressure in acute lung injury.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Survival of patients with acute lung injury or the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) has been improved by ventilation with small tidal volumes and the use of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP); however, the optimal level of PEEP has been difficult to determine. In this pilot study, we estimated transpulmonary pressure with the use of esophageal balloon catheters. We reasoned that the use of pleural-pressure measurements, despite the technical limitations to the accuracy of such measurements, would enable us to find a PEEP value that could maintain oxygenation while preventing lung injury due to repeated alveolar collapse or overdistention.

Methods

We randomly assigned patients with acute lung injury or ARDS to undergo mechanical ventilation with PEEP

SUBMITTER: Talmor D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3969885 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature