Abstract
Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal (ECCO(2)R) is used in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) patients to facilitate lung-protective ventilatory strategies. Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) allows individual, non-invasive, real-time, bedside, radiation-free imaging of the lungs, providing global and regional dynamic lung analyses. To provide new insights for future ECCO2R research in ARDS, we propose a potential application of EIT to personalize End-Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) following each reduction in tidal volume (VT), as demonstrated in an illustrative case. A 72-year-old male with COVID-19 was admitted to the ICU for moderate ARDS. Monitoring with EIT was started to determine the optimal PEEP value (PEEP(EIT)), defined as the intersection of the collapse and overdistention curves, after each reduction in VT during ECCO(2)R. The identified PEEP(EIT) values were notably low (< 10 cmH2O). The decrease in VT associated with PEEP(EIT) levels resulted in improved lung compliance, reduced driving pressure and a more uniform ventilation pattern. Despite current Randomized Controlled Trials showing that ultra-protective ventilation with ECCO(2)R does not improve survival, the applicability of universal ultra-protective ventilation settings for all patients remains a subject of debate. Inappropriately set PEEP levels can lead to alveolar collapse or overdistension, potentially negating the benefits of VT reduction. EIT facilitates real-time monitoring of derecruitment associated with VT reduction, guiding physicians in determining the optimal PEEP value after each decrease in tidal volume. This original description of using EIT under ECCO(2)R to adjust PEEP at a level compromising between recruitability and overdistention could be a crucial element for future research on ECCO(2)R.