Optimizing Ventilator Settings in ARDS Patients

The chapter dives into the importance of setting personalized positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels for ARDS patients, emphasizing the need for dynamic adjustments based on individual patient factors. Discussions revolve around methods like decremental PEEP tests, driving pressures, stress index, and the utilization of ARDSnet tables to guide ventilator management. The speakers stress the significance of a protocol-based approach even in the absence of expert guidance, advocating for continual assessment and adjustment of PEEP levels to enhance patient outcomes.