A comparison of two treatment methods for critically ill patients with severe, rapid-onset lung disorders treated with mechanical ventilators found no significant difference in the risk of death, but did find that the newer method reduced the rates of severe persistent low oxygen levels and reduced the need for additional “rescue” therapies, according to a study in the February 13 issue of JAMA. Acute lung injury (such as from severe pneumonia or trauma) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS; the most serious form of acute lung injury), can be devastating complications of critical illness. Although mechanical ventilation provides essential life support, it can worsen lung injury. Low tidal volume (volume of air that is drawn with each breath) ventilation reduces the risk of death in critically ill patients with acute lung injury and ARDS. Adding therapies to effectively splint open collapsed lung segments may further reduce the risk of death, the authors write.
