Preventing ventilator-induced lung injury—what does the evidence say?

Since the first description of ARDS by Asbaugh et al. in 1967 decades of research brought further insight into the pathomechanistic background of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). However, at present there is still no specific treatment available that targets the underlying mechanisms and can control the course of the disease. Therefore, the mortality rate for severe ARDS remains as high as 30–40%. The most important supportive care has become the introduction of lung protective ventilation strategies thereby lowering barotrauma and ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) in ARDS.