Electrical Impedance Tomography for Respiratory Monitoring During Alveolar Recruitment Maneuver

57 years old patient, with acute myocardial infarction that produces heart failure with an ejection fraction of the left ventricle of 20%, and hemodynamic instability where the implantation of a biventricular assistance was necessary. While entering suffered an impairment of respiratory function. Respirator ventilatory parameters were adjusted to prevent lung damage, low tidal volume (480 ml), respiratory rate of 13 and a level of positive end expiratory pressure of 8 cm H2O. By monitoring pulmonary tidal volume distribution with Electrical Impedance Tomography, bedside, we note that the distribution of tidal volume was not homogeneous. Alveolar recruitment maneuver under the control of the SIT allowed to observe the distribution of tidal volume and which were necessary to ventilate the lungs homogeneusly.