Mechanical Ventilation in the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome

The goal of mechanically ventilating patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is to ensure adequate oxygenation and minimal ventilator-associated lung injury. Non-invasive ventilation should be cautiously used in patients with ARDS. Protective ARDS mechanical ventilation strategies with low tidal volumes can reduce mortality. Driving pressure is the most reasonable parameter to optimize tidal volume. Available evidence does not support the routine use of higher positive end expiratory pressure (PEEP) in patients with ARDS. The optimal level of PEEP may be titrated by the inflection point obtained from static pressure-volume curve. Promising therapies include prone position ventilation, high frequency oscillatory ventilation and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation as salvage treatment. While mechanically ventilating, it is also important for ARDS patients to maintain spontaneous breathing via assisted ventilation mode such as bilevel positive airway pressure, pressure support ventilation and neurally adjusted ventilation assist. Exogenous surfactant, inhaled nitric oxide, bronchodilators, airway pressure release ventilation and partial liquid ventilation are not recommended therapies.