Kinetic effects of carbon monoxide inhalation on tissue protection in ventilator-induced lung injury.

Mechanical ventilation causes ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI), and contributes to acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS), a disease with high morbidity and mortality among critically ill patients. Carbon monoxide (CO) can confer lung protective effects during mechanical ventilation. This study investigates the time dependency of CO therapy with respect to lung protection in animals subjected to mechanical ventilation.