in various lung units based on the lung mechanics of the unit. Lung units with long time constants (high airway resistance and/or high compliance) always develop the greatest auto-PEEP, whereas lung units with the shortest time constants (low compliance and/or low resistance) always develop the least auto-PEEP. As shown in the mathematical discussion by Chatburn and Kallet, lung units that are ...

Correspondence: Renato S. Procianoy Rua Silva Jardim, 1155/701 CEP 90450-071 Porto Alegre, RS Brazil E-mail: [email protected] References 1. Garfield E. The history and meaning of the journal impact factor. JAMA. 2006;295:90-3. 2. Procianoy RS. The journal impact factor today. J Pediatr (Rio J). 2007;83:487. 3. Piccoli N, Procianoy RS. Brazilian scientific journals: an overview. Eur Sci Edi...

Intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) was introduced nearly 50 years ago. Despite the initial fanfare and early adoption by many, the role of IMV continues to be questioned. The use of small tidal volumes complicates the application of IMV, and issues with work of breathing, weaning and lack of clear advantages have many calling for a moratorium on its use. Spontaneous breathing, however, ha...

Few studies have examined ventilatory modes exclusively in infants born at term. Synchronous intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) compared to intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) is associated with a shorter duration of ventilation. The limited data on pressure support, volume targeted ventilation and neurally adjusted ventilatory assist demonstrate only short term benefits in term bor...

BACKGROUND Weaning patients from mechanical ventilation is an important problem in intensive care units. Weaning is usually conducted in an empirical manner, and a standardized approach has not been developed. METHODS We carried out a prospective, randomized, multicenter study involving 546 patients who had received mechanical ventilation for a mean (+/- SD) of 7.5 +/- 6.1 days and who were c...

OBJECTIVE Physiologic and pathologic comparison of two modes of assisted ventilation, nasal intermittent positive-pressure ventilation (NIPPV) and synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV), in spontaneously breathing term newborn piglets with saline lavage-induced lung injury. DESIGN After inducing acute lung injury via repetitive saline lavage, piglets were randomized to NIPPV (...

BACKGROUND Mechanical ventilation and surfactants are the standard treatment of preterm respiratory distress syndrome (RDS). The effects of the primary ventilation model on bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and long-term neurodevelopment outcomes are controversial. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy and safety of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) and synchronized i...