Ventilator associated acute lung injury
Namendys-Silva, S.A.; Posadas-Calleja, J.G.
Revista de Investigacion Clinica; Organo del Hospital de Enfermedades de la Nutricion 57(3): 473-480
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0034-8376 PMID: 16187708 Document Number: 592171
Mechanical ventilation plays a central role in the critical care setting; but its use is closely related with some life threatening complications as nosocomial pneumonia and low cardiac performance. One of the most severe complications is called ventilator-associated lung injury (VALI) and it includes: Barotrauma, volutrauma, atelectrauma, biotrauma and oxygen-mediated toxic effects and it is related with an inflammatory response secondary to the stretching and recruitment process of alveoli within mechanical ventilation. The use of some protective ventilatory strategies has lowered the mortality rate 10% approximately.