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Updated: May 20, 2026

Assessment of Pulmonary Capillary Blood Volume, Membrane Diffusing Capacity, and Intrapulmonary Arteriovenous Anastomoses During Exercise
Published on: February 20, 2017
The effect of APRV ventilation on ICP and cerebral hemodynamics
Paul E Marik1, Alisha Young, Steve Sibole
1Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Department of Respiratory Services, Eastern Virginia Medical School, 825 Fairfax Ave, Suite 410, Norfolk, VA 23507, USA. marikpe@evms.edu
Background:
Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) is an alternative approach to the low-tidal volume "open-lung" ventilation strategy. APRV is associated with a higher mean airway pressure than conventional ventilation and has therefore not been evaluated in patients with acute neurological injuries.
Methods:
Case report.
Results:
We report a patient with severe progressive hypoxemia following a subarachnoid hemorrhage who was converted from pressure-controlled mechanical ventilation to APRV. This change in ventilatory mode was associated with a significant improvement in oxygenation and alveolar ventilation with an associated increase in cerebral blood flow and a negligible increase in intracranial pressure.
Conclusion:
APRV may safely be applied to neurocritically ill patients, and that this mode of ventilation may increase cerebral blood flow without increasing intracranial pressure.
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