Dynamic lung imaging techniques in mechanically ventilated patients

Abstract

Endotracheal intubation and mechanical ventilation are required for the majority of critically ill patients in tertiary care intensive care units (ICUs) [1]. During mechanical ventilation, patients often have imbalances in regional lung ventilation due to heterogeneity of lung mechanics. The current methods generally available for assessing lung function in mechanically ventilated patients include arterial blood gas analysis and graphic waveforms from ventilators (flow, pressure and volume over time as well as pressure-volume, pressure-flow and flow-volume loops). At best, these methods reflect only overall lung function, while failing to give information on disparate regional functionality Unlike data collected from the ventilator or the blood, lung imaging allows for regional assessment of anatomy or function. Methods which pro-vide the capability of quantifying these regional differences in mechanically ventilated patients are of great interest. © 2007 Springer Science + Business Media Inc.