The most important factor for treating DAD or ARDS is to treat the underlying cause of the injury to the lungs,[9] for example pneumonia or sepsis. These patients will have problems with oxygenation, meaning they will likely need a breathing tube, medications to keep them comfortable (sedative, paralytic, and/or analgesic), and a mechanical ventilator to breath for them.[10] The mechanical ventilator will often be set to a setting of at least 5 cm H2O of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) to keep the alveoli from collapsing during exhalation.[9] Other treatments to improve oxygenation may include prone positioning or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).[3]