Mechanical ventilation is life-saving technology but it can also inadvertently induce lung injury and increase morbidity and mortality. There currently is not an easy method of assessing the impact ventilator settings have on the degree of lung inflation. Computed tomography (CT), the gold standard for visually monitoring lung function, can provide detailed regional information of the lung. Unfortunately, it necessitates moving critically ill patients to a special diagnostic room and involves exposure to radiation like an X-ray.