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Positive end-expiratory pressure in COVID-19-related ARDS: Do not forget the airway closure
Clément Brault1, Yoann Zerbib1, Loay Kontar1
1Intensive Care Department, CHU Amiens-Picardie, 1 rue du Professeur Christian Cabrol, F-80000 Amiens, France.
Abstract:
Airway closure is a physiological phenomenon in which the distal airways are obstructed when the airway pressure drops below the airway opening pressure. We assessed this phenomenon in 27 patients with coronavirus disease 2019-related acute respiratory distress syndrome. Twelve (44%) patients had an airway opening pressure above 5 cmH2O. The median airway opening pressure was 8 cmH2O (interquartile range, 7-10), with a maximum value of 17 cmH2O. Three patients had a baseline positive end-expiratory pressure lower than the airway opening pressure.
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