Fig. 1.

Cytokine, endotoxin, and microbial agents released from the acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ ARDS) lung during injurious mechanical ventilation. Mechanical ventilation–associated and mechanical ventilation–induced lung injury causes impairment of the integrity of the alveolar-capillary membrane and results in augmented cytokine release leading to translocation of cytokines/endotoxin/microbial agents from the lung to the circulation, contributing to systemic inflammation and a multi-organ dysfunction syndrome. With permission (Belperio et al. 2006)