Lung injury with positive pressure and high volume ventilation

The effects of various modalities of positive pressure ventilation in rats. Extravascular lung water (Qwl), dry lung weight, and albumin space are indicative of the development of lung injury. These abnormalities were induced in rats ventilated with high pressure and high tidal volume (HiP-HiV), low pressure and high volume (LoP-HiV), but not in those ventilated with high pressure and low volume (HiP-LoV). The HiP-HiV and LoP-HiV were always different from controls (p <0.0001). Thus, ventilator-induced lung injury in this rat model appears to be more a function of high tidal volume than of high airway pressure.