Alveolar derecruitment at decremental positive end-expiratory pressure levels in acute lung injury: comparison with the lower inflection point, oxygenation, and compliance
We examined the hypothesis that recording multiple elastic pressure-volume (Pel/V) curves and calculating alveolar derecruitment (V(DER)) induced by decreasing positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) may allow determination of alveolar closing pressures, thus helping to select the optimal PEEP level. V(DER) measured in 16 patients with acute lung injury (ALI) was compared with the lower inflection
