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Little is known about the small airways dysfunction in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). By computed tomography (CT) imaging in a porcine experimental model of early ARDS, we aimed at studying the location and magnitude of peripheral airway closure and alveolar collapse under high and low distending pressures and high and low inspiratory oxygen fraction (FIO2). Six piglets were mechanically ventilated under anesthesia and muscle relaxation. Four animals underwent saline-washout lung injury, and two served as healthy controls. Beyond the site of assumed airway closure, gas was expected to be trapped in the injured lungs, promoting alveolar collapse. This was tested by ventilation with an FIO2 of 0.25 and 1 in sequence during low and high distending pressures. In the most dependent regions, the gas/tissue ratio of end-expiratory CT, after previous ventilation with FIO2 0.25 low-driving pressure, was significantly higher than after ventilation with FIO2 1; with high-driving pressure, this difference disappeared. Also, significant reduction in poorly aerated tissue and a correlated increase in nonaerated tissue in endexpiratory CT with FIO2 1 low-driving pressure were seen. When high-driving pressure was applied or after previous ventilation with FIO2 0.25 and low-driving pressure, this pattern disappeared. The findings suggest that low distending pressures produce widespread dependent airway closure and with high FIO2, subsequent absorption atelectasis. Low FIO2 prevented alveolar collapse during the study period because of slow absorption of gas behind closed airways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Modern ventilatory strategies are based on the assumption that lung terminal airspaces act as isotropic balloons that progressively accommodate gas. Phase contrast synchrotron radiation computed tomography (PCSRCT) has recently challenged this concept, showing that in healthy lungs, deflation mechanisms are based on the sequential de-recruitment of airspaces. Using PCSRCT scans in an animal model of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), this study examined whether the numerosity (ASnum) and dimension (ASdim) of lung airspaces change during a deflation maneuver at decreasing levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) at 12, 9, 6, 3, and 0 cmH2O. Deflation was associated with significant reduction of ASdim both in the whole lung section (passing from from 13.1 ± 2.0 at PEEP 12 to 7.6 ± 4.2 voxels at PEEP 0) and in single concentric regions of interest (ROIs). However, the regression between applied PEEP and ASnum was significant in the whole slice (ranging from 188 ± 52 at PEEP 12 to 146.4 ± 96.7 at PEEP 0) but not in the single ROIs. This mechanism of deflation in which reduction of ASdim is predominant, differs from the one observed in healthy conditions, suggesting that the peculiar alveolar micromechanics of ARDS might play a role in the deflation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computed tomography (CT), together with image analysis technologies, enable the construction of regional volume (V REG ) and local transpulmonary pressure (P TP,REG ) maps of the lung. Purpose of this study is to assess the distribution of V REG vs P TP,REG along the gravitational axis in healthy (HL) and experimental acute lung injury conditions (eALI) at various positive end-expiratory pressures (PEEPs) and inflation volumes. Mechanically ventilated pigs underwent inspiratory hold maneuvers at increasing volumes simultaneously with lung CT scans. eALI was induced via the iv administration of oleic acid. We computed voxel-level V REG vs P TP,REG curves into eleven isogravitational planes by applying polynomial regressions. Via F-test, we determined that V REG vs P TP,REG curves derived from different anatomical planes (p-values < 1.4E-3), exposed to different PEEPs (p-values < 1.5E-5) or subtending different lung status (p-values < 3E-3) were statistically different (except for two cases of adjacent planes). Lung parenchyma exhibits different elastic behaviors based on its position and the density of superimposed tissue which can increase during lung injury. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Computed tomography (CT) can yield quantitative information about volume distribution in the lung. By combining information provided by CT and respiratory mechanics, this study aims at quantifying regional lung compliance (CL) and its distribution and homogeneity in mechanically ventilated pigs. The animals underwent inspiratory hold maneuvers at 12 lung volumes with simultaneous CT exposure at two end-expiratory pressure levels and before and after acute lung injury (ALI) by oleic acid administration. CL and the sum of positive voxel compliances from CT were linearly correlated; negative compliance areas were found. A remarkably heterogeneous distribution of voxel compliance was found in the injured lungs. As the lung inflation increased, the homogeneity increased in healthy lungs but decreased in injured lungs. Image analysis brought novel findings regarding spatial homogeneity of compliance, which increases in ALI but not in healthy lungs by applying PEEP after a recruitment maneuver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]