Flow-controlled expiration: a novel ventilation mode to attenuate experimental porcine lung injury

Background Whereas the effects of various inspiratory ventilatory modifications in lung injury have extensively been studied, those of expiratory ventilatory modifications are less well known. We hypothesized that the newly developed fl ow-controlled ex piration (FLEX) mode provides a means of attenuating experimental lung injury. Methods Experimental acute respiratory distress syndrome was induced by i.v. injection of oleic acid in 15 anaesthetized and mechanically ventilated pigs. After established lung injury ( P a O 2 / F I O 2 ratio Results Compared with the control group (VCV; n =8), the VCV+FLEX group ( n =7) demonstrated greater dynamic lung compliance and required less PEEP at comparable F I O 2 (both P P de novo migration of macrophages into lung tissue (both P Conclusions The newly developed FLEX mode is able to attenuate experimental lung injury. FLEX could provide a novel means of lung-protective ventilation.