Anesthesiology
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Automated alerting and recommendations for the management of patients with preexisting hypoxia and potential acute lung injury: a pilot study.
Acute lung injury (ALI) is associated with high mortality. Low tidal volume (Vt) ventilation has been shown to reduce mortality in ALI patients in the intensive care unit. Anesthesiologists do not routinely provide lung-protective ventilation strategies to patients with ALI in the operating room. The authors hypothesized that an alert, recommending lung-protective ventilation regarding patients with potential ALI, would result in lower Vt administration. ⋯ Automated alerts generated for patients at risk of having ALI resulted in a statistically significant reduction in Vt administered when compared with a control group. Further research is required to determine whether a reduction in Vt results in decreased mortality and/or postoperative duration of mechanical ventilation.