Chest electrical impedance tomography and its clinical applications

Abstract

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) has the potential to become a bedside tool for monitoring and guiding ventilator therapy, as well as tracking the development of chronic lung diseases. This paper describes the measurement principle of this novel technique and an overview of the applications of pulmonary EIT in the intensive care unit, including monitoring of ventilation and ventilator-induced lung injury, EIT-guided lung-protective ventilation and pulmonary perfusion. Limitations that hinder EIT to become a routinely used tool in a clinical setting are briefly discussed.