Goal-Directed Mechanical Ventilation: Are We Aiming at the Right Goals? A Proposal for an Alternative Approach Aiming at Optimal Lung Compliance, Guided by Esophageal Pressure in Acute Respiratory Failure
Figure 1
Pressure tracing of esophageal balloon with its tip in the stomach (60 to 70 cm below the incisors). Black arrow indicates gentle compression of the abdomen by the examiner. Catheter position in the stomach is also indicated by the smooth nature of the pressure tracing of the esophageal balloon and the lack of the effect of heart beat on the pressure tracing. = airway opening pressure, = esophageal pressure, = transpulmonary pressure.
