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Bronchiolectasis caused by positive end-expiratory pressure
Critical Care Medicine
|December 1, 1984
Summary
Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) ventilation in respiratory failure patients did not significantly alter survival rates. While PEEP may increase dead space, pulmonary function, including the dead-space/tidal-volume ratio, normalized in patients studied.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary Medicine
- Critical Care Medicine
- Respiratory Physiology
Background:
- Artificial ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is a common therapy for respiratory failure.
- PEEP may be associated with increased physiologic dead space in ventilated patients.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of PEEP on survival rates in patients with respiratory failure.
- To assess changes in pulmonary function, specifically the dead-space/tidal-volume ratio, in patients receiving PEEP.
Main Methods:
- A comparative study involving 40 patients ventilated with PEEP and a control group not receiving PEEP.
- Measurement of pulmonary function variables, including the dead-space/tidal-volume ratio, in a subset of PEEP patients.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in survival rates was observed between the PEEP group and the control group.
- Pulmonary function values, including the dead-space/tidal-volume ratio, normalized in the five PEEP patients who underwent detailed measurement.
Conclusions:
- PEEP ventilation in patients with respiratory failure does not appear to significantly impact survival rates.
- Despite potential increases in dead space, PEEP may not lead to persistent detrimental effects on pulmonary function.
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