Functional residual capacity measurements during mechanical ventilation in ICU patients

The level of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is important to avoid ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) by preventing alveolar collapse and alveolar overdistension. One of the mechanisms of application of optimal PEEP could be measurement of the functional residual capacity or end-expiratory lung volume (EELV) in mechanically ventilated patients. Recently, GE Healthcare introduced a multibreath open-circuit nitrogen technique to measure the EELV during mechanical ventilation. The aim of this study was to measure the EELV levels at three different PEEP levels in ventilated patients with different diseases.