The goal of mechanical ventilation in ARDS patients is to improve oxygenation by reducing the work of breathing . With this aim, the orientation towards sensitive ventilation strategies has increased in the light of experience and scientific data from the past to the present. Today, the concept of Mechanical Power (MP) has been developed, which combines different variables, such as tidal volume, drive pressure, gas flow, respiratory rate, and PEEP, which have been associated with VILI in various studies, into a single parameter. In this study, the investigators used the simplified MP equation (MPvcv (simpl)) developed by Gattinoni et al. for power calculation in volume control mode and the simplified MP equation (MPpcv(simpl)) developed by Becher et al. for power calculation in pressure control mode. Thus, the investigators aimed to compare the volume control and pressure control modes over the concept of MP.
The management of ARDS, which is one of the important problems of intensive care patients, has gained popularity with the pandemic. Mechanical ventilation is an important life-saving treatment in ARDS patients. However, when not used correctly, it can cause Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury (VILI). Therefore, lung protective ventilation should be applied to minimize VILI in ARDS patients. Mechanical power is one of the parameters that guides intensivist in predicting VILI.