Intermediate tidal volume is an acceptable option for ventilated patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome

Objective: Evidence only proves low surpasses high tidal volume (VT) for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Intermediate VT is a common setting for ARDS patients and has been demonstrated as effective as low VT in non-ARDS patients. The effectiveness of intermediate VT in ARDS has not been studied and is the objective of this study.Design: A retrospective cohort study.Setting: Five ICUs with their totally 130 beds in Taiwan.Patients or participants: ARDS patients under invasive ventilation. Interventions: No.Main variables of interest: 28-D mortality.Result: Totally 382 patients, with 6958 ventilator settings eligible for lung protection, were classified into low (mean VT = 6.7 ml/kg), intermediate (mean VT = 8.9 ml/kg) and high (mean VT = 11.2 ml/kg) VT groups. With similar baseline ARDS and ICU severities, intermediate and low VT groups did not differ in 28-D mortality (47% vs. 63%, P = 0.06) or other outcomes such as 90-D mortality, ventilator-free days, ventilator-dependence rate. Multivariate analysis revealed high VT was independently associated with 28-D and 90-D mortality, but intermediate VT was not significantly associated with 28-D mortality (HR 1.34, CI 0.92-1.97, P = 0.13) or 90-D mortality. When the intermediate and low VT groups were matched in propensity scores (n = 66 for each group), their outcomes were also not significantly different.Conclusion: Intermediate VT, with its outcomes similar to small VT, is an acceptable option for ventilated ARDS patients. This conclusion needs verification through clinical trials.(c) 2022 Elsevier Espana, S.L.U. y SEMICYUC. All rights reserved.