A Novel Maneuver to Treat Refractory Atelectasis in Mechanically Ventilated Children

We developed a novel airway clearance and lung recruitment maneuver for children with refractory unilateral atelectasis undergoing invasive mechanical ventilation. In this retrospective, single-center, proof of concept study, we describe the steps involved in this novel maneuver and evaluate its effectiveness in 15 patients through objective quantitation of changes in respiratory system compliance and in the degree of atelectasis assessed by a validated Modified Radiology Atelectasis Score. Compared with the premaneuver baseline, the median atelectasis score improved significantly following the maneuver (9 [7.5–10] vs. 1 [0–3.3], respectively, p