Appendix 1 Table 1.
National Institutes of Health Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Network lower tidal volume ventilation for acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome protocol summary
| Variable | Protocol |
|---|---|
| Ventilator mode | Volume assist control |
| Tidal volume | ≤ 6 ml/kg predicted body weight (subsequent adjustments were made to maintain plateau pressure ≤ 30 cmH2O) |
| Plateau pressure | ≤ 30 cmH2O |
| Ventilation set rate/pH goal | 6–35 breaths/min, adjusted to achieve arterial pH 7.3–7.45 if possible |
| Inspiratory flow, I:E | Adjust flow to achieve I:E of 1:1–1:3 |
| Oxygenation goal | PaO2 of 55 ≤ 80 mmHg, or SpO2 of 88% ≤ 95% |
| FiO2/PEEP (mmHg) combinations | 0.3/5, 0.4/5, 0.4/8, 0.5/8, 0.5/10, 0.6/10, 0.7/10, 0.7/12, 0.7/14, 0.8/14, 0.9/14, 0.9/16, 0.9/18, 1.0/18, 1.0/22, 1.0/24 |
| Weaning | Attempts to wean by pressure support required when FiO2/PEEP ≤ 0.40/8 |
FiO2, fraction of inspired oxygen; I:E, inspiration:expiration; PaO2, partial pressure of arterial oxygen; PEEP, positive end-expiratory pressure; SpO2, oxygen saturation via pulse oximetry.