Lowering PEEP: Weaning From High PEEP Setting

The perfusion of the deeply different areas coexisting in ARDS lung generates two type of venus-admixure : true shunt and shunt effect. Briefly, true shunt and shunt effect are related to non-aerated and poorly-ventilated lung areas perfusion respectively. Practically, it is not possible to quantify the true shunt and the shunt-effect directly, but we can measure the "total-shunt", i.e. the sum of two kind of venus-admixured. As it is known from classical physiology, the effects of FiO2 variations on PaO2 are deeply different depending on the type of venous admixures. In the case of a patient with virtually only true shunt, any FiO2 variation will not modify the PaO2. On the other hand, in a patient with virtually only a shunt effect, increasing the FiO2 the PaO2 will progressively increase. Indeed, ventilating a patient presenting only a shunt effect (without true shunt) with pure oxygen will generate a "normal" P/F ratio. In patients ventilated with high PEEP levels it is difficult to predict based on the P/F ratio the relative amount of true shunt and shunt effect. However, patients presenting a significant shunt effect when ventilated with higher PEEP level would likely have "unstable" poorly aerated lung areas that need PEEP to remain opened. In those patients, a PEEP-weaning protocol based on the P/F ratio could induce significant alveolar de-recruitment and clinical deterioration. On the contrary, patients with less shunt effect would be likely less prone to alveolar de-recruitment and would benefice from PEEP decrease.