Current opinion in critical care
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Feb 2024
ReviewSetting positive end-expiratory pressure: does the 'best compliance' concept really work?
Determining the optimal positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) setting remains a central yet debated issue in the management of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).The 'best compliance' strategy set the PEEP to coincide with the peak respiratory system compliance (or 2 cmH 2 O higher) during a decremental PEEP trial, but evidence is conflicting. ⋯ The traditional 'best compliance' strategy for determining optimal PEEP settings in ARDS carries risks and overlooks some key physiological aspects. The advent of new technologies and methods presents more reliable strategies to assess recruitment and overdistention, facilitating personalized approaches to PEEP optimization.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Feb 2024
ReviewVentilation during extracorporeal gas exchange in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Accumulating evidence ascribes the benefit of extracorporeal gas exchange, at least in most severe cases, to the provision of a lung healing environment through the mitigation of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) risk. In spite of pretty homogeneous criteria for extracorporeal gas exchange application (according to the degree of hypoxemia/hypercapnia), ventilatory management during extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO)/carbon dioxide removal (ECCO 2 R) varies across centers. Here we summarize the recent evidence regarding the management of mechanical ventilation during extracorporeal gas exchange for respiratory support. ⋯ The best compromise between reduction of native lung ventilatory load, extracorporeal gas exchange efficiency, and strategies to preserve lung aeration deserves further investigation.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Feb 2024
ReviewSetting positive end-expiratory pressure: lung and diaphragm ultrasound.
The purpose of this review is to summarize the role of lung ultrasound and diaphragm ultrasound in guiding ventilator settings with an emphasis on positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). Recent advances for using ultrasound to assess the effects of PEEP on the lungs and diaphragm are discussed. ⋯ Lung and diaphragm ultrasound are useful for diagnosing the cause of respiratory failure and subsequently setting the ventilator including PEEP. Effects of PEEP on lung and diaphragm can be monitored using ultrasound.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Feb 2024
ReviewSetting positive end-expiratory pressure: using the pressure-volume curve.
To discuss the role of pressure-volume curve (PV curve) in exploring elastic properties of the respiratory system and setting mechanical ventilator to reduce ventilator-induced lung injury. ⋯ In conclusion, PV curve is an easily available bedside tool: its correct interpretation can be extremely valuable to enlighten potential for lung recruitability and select a high or low positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) strategy. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that PV curve can play a significant role in PEEP and driving pressure fine tuning: clinical studies are needed to prove whether this technique will improve outcome.
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Curr Opin Crit Care · Feb 2024
ReviewAirway pressure release ventilation for lung protection in acute respiratory distress syndrome: an alternative way to recruit the lungs.
Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) is a modality of ventilation in which high inspiratory continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) alternates with brief releases. In this review, we will discuss the rationale for APRV as a lung protective strategy and then provide a practical introduction to initiating APRV using the time-controlled adaptive ventilation (TCAV) method. ⋯ APRV using the TCAV method is a paradigm shift in protective lung ventilation, which primarily aims to stabilize the lung and gradually reopen collapsed tissue to achieve lung homogeneity eliminating the main mechanistic drivers of VILI.