[Evaluation of mechanical ventilation for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome as a result of interstitial pneumonia after renal transplantation].

Objective: To evaluate the clinical value of mechanical ventilation for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome(ARDS) as a result of interstitial pneumonia after renal transplantation in the intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods: All the clinical data (totally 16 cases) were collected, including the improvement of hypoxemia before and after mechanical ventilation.

Results: Different levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) 4-15 cm H2O (1 cm H2O=0.098 kPa) were applied in the patients in whom mechanical ventilation was instituted. The time for different mechanical ventilation was different [1-87 days, (15.4+/-21.1) days] and duration of survival was different [1-1 945 days, (154.4+/-497.1) days]. Only one of them was survived (6.7%), and the others died (93.3%). The causes of death were analyzed. Among the patients who received the mechanical ventilation, 3 patients were alive less than 3 days and their dire ct cause of death was not respiratory (circulation and central). Only one of them did not receive artificial ventilation and the cause of death was hypoxemia. The successful experience for one survivor among the patients who received the ventilator was that hypoxemia was improved by the mechanical ventilation, winning the time for the treatment of the original disease.

Conclusion: The major value of mechanical ventilation was to correct the hypoxemia in order to win the time to cure the interstitial pneumonia and ARDS. The survival rate was still low for such a group of patients because the pathogenesis was not identified, and therefore the disease could not be controlled, even the mechanical ventilation is instituted in time.