Respiratory Effects of Maximal Lung Recruitment Maneuvers Using Single-Breath Estimation in ARDS.

Background: Determining which patients with ARDS are most likely to benefit from lung recruitment maneuvers is challenging for physicians. The aim of this study was to assess whether the single-breath simplified decremental PEEP maneuver, which evaluates potential lung recruitment, may predict a subject's response to lung recruitment maneuvers, followed by PEEP titration.

Methods: We conducted a pilot prospective single-center cohort study with a 3-step protocol that defined sequential measurements.