Medicina intensiva
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Electrical impedance tomography has been described as a new method of monitoring critically ill patients on mechanical ventilation. It has recently gained special interest because of its applicability for monitoring ventilation and pulmonary perfusion. ⋯ This review explains the physical concept of bioimpedance and its clinical application, and summarizes the scientific evidence published to date with regard to the implementation of electrical impedance tomography as a method for monitoring ventilation and perfusion, mainly in the patient with acute lung injury, and other possible applications of the technique in the critically ill patient. The review also summarizes the limitations of the technique and its potential areas of future development.