Electrical Impedance Tomography to Monitor Hypoxemic Respiratory Failure

Area of Science:

• Critical Care Medicine
• Respiratory Physiology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Hypoxemic respiratory failure is a major cause of ICU mortality.
• Personalized mechanical ventilation (MV) is challenging due to complex patient physiology.
• Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) offers non-invasive, bedside monitoring of regional lung function.

Approach:

• This review examines the functioning and indices of EIT.
• It evaluates EIT's performance in monitoring MV effects in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
• The review discusses EIT's utility in optimizing ventilation strategies and prone positioning.

Key Points:

• EIT provides real-time, radiation-free visualization of regional lung ventilation and aeration.
• It aids in selecting optimal positive end-expiratory pressure to balance lung recruitment and overdistension.
• EIT can assess ventilation distribution changes during procedures like prone positioning.

Conclusions:

• EIT is a valuable tool for personalized mechanical ventilation in the ICU.
• It enables continuous, operator-free monitoring and real-time detection of ventilation issues.
• Further research is needed to fully explore the clinical impact of EIT-guided MV personalization.