American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine
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Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med. · Feb 2000
Effect of the prone position on patients with hydrostatic pulmonary edema compared with patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome and pulmonary fibrosis.
This study examined the effect of the prone position on mechanically ventilated patients with hydrostatic pulmonary edema (HPE). Eight patients with acute HPE and mechanically ventilated in the prone position (Group 1) were studied. Six patients with acute HPE and mechanically ventilated in the supine position (Group 2), 20 patients with ARDS (Group 3), and 5 patients with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) (Group 4) served as control patients. ⋯ Our results show that the prone position may be a useful maneuver in treating patients with severe hypoxemia due to pulmonary edema. The presence of pulmonary edema, as in early ARDS and HPE predicts a beneficial effect of the prone position on gas exchange. In contrast, the presence of fibrosis, as in late ARDS and pulmonary fibrosis, predisposes to nonresponsiveness to prone positioning.