Réanimation Chirurgicale Polyvalente Pierre Viars, Groupe Hospitalier Pitié-Salpêtrière, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Université Pierre et Marie Curie of Paris - 6, 47/83 boulevard de l'Hôpital, Paris Cédex 13, France. jjrouby.pitie@invivo.edu
In patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome, positive end-expiratory pressure is associated with alveolar recruitment and lung hyperinflation despite the administration of a low tidal volume. The best positive end-expiratory pressure should correspond to the best compromise between recruitment and distension, a condition that coincides with the best respiratory elastance.