Choosing optimal P_AW during high-frequency oscillation

Excerpt

High-frequency oscillation (HFO) is increasingly used as rescue therapy in adults with severe ARDS. Ventilating with the lower pressure above the lower corner pressure (PCL), and upper pressure below the upper corner pressure of the pressure-volume (P-V) curve, should result in more recruitment and less ventilator induced injury. Currently, the ventilator settings are based on the settings of the conventional ventilator prior to HFO and on trial and error. In this paper the authors questioned whether the mean airway pressure (P_AW) resulting in optimal oxygenation could be predicted from the inflation limb of the P-V curve of the injured lung. …