Can differential regional ventilation protect the spared lung in acute respiratory distress syndrome?

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a common clinical problem prevalent in intensive care settings. It can complicate many critical illnesses. The general treatment is mainly supportive. Mechanical ventilation, low tidal volume strategy, and control of plateau pressure form the basis of current management. No specific treatment exists for ARDS. Various interventions have been tested for the lethal condition including steroids, fluid restriction, statins, high-frequency ventilation, nitric oxide, and prone ventilation strategy. However, none has shown improvement apart from prone positioning and low tidal volume ventilation. We report our observation in a patient with ARDS, which may potentially show a new mechanism to protect normal alveoli in ARDS lung and thereby may improve survival.