Herbert P. Wiedemann, MD Chairman, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Cleveland Clinic; site principal investigator and member of the Steering Committee for the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) ARDS Network
Alejandro C. Arroliga, MD Head, Section of Critical Care Medicine, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Cleveland Clinic; investigator, NHLBI ARDS Network
Address: Herbert P. Wiedemann, MD, Department of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, A90, Cleveland Clinic, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, OH 44195; wiedemh@ccf.org
ABSTRACT
In a recent major study, patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome or acute lung injury were randomly assigned to have their respirators set to deliver tidal volumes of either 6 mL/kg or a more-traditional 12 mL/kg. Mortality in the low-tidal-volume group was 31.0%, compared with 39.8% in the traditional-tidal-volume group, a 22% difference (P = .007).