Recruitment manoeuvres during mechanical ventilation reduce the risk of a critically ill patient dying in the intensive care unit

Abstract

Citation: Hodgson C, Goligher EC, Young ME, et al. Recruitment manoeuvres for adults with acute respiratory distress syndrome receiving mechanical ventilation. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2016; (11): CD006667. What is this? Some patients with COVID-19 will develop acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and need help with their breathing. This might be provided by mechanical ventilation (MV) in an intensive care unit (ICU). Recruitment manoeuvres, using sustained deep breaths, are often used during MV to prevent lung damage. In this Cochrane systematic review, the authors searched for randomised trials testing these recruitment manoeuvres. They did not restrict by date, type or language of publication and did their searches in August 2016. They identified 10 eligible studies with recruitment manoeuvres as the intervention, although in some of these, it was used in conjunction with other interventions such as open lung ventilation. What works: Recruitment manoeuvres reduce the risk of dying in the ICU and do not increase the risk of a type of lung damage called barotrauma. What doesn’t work: Nothing noted. What’s uncertain: It is uncertain if recruitment manoeuvres have an impact on oxygenation, 28-day mortality or in-hospital mortality.