Will all ARDS patients be receiving mechanical ventilation in 2035? Yes

Excerpt

Intensive care has historically been synonymous with the provision of mechanical ventilation (MV). While extracorporeal techniques for supporting lung function (extracorporeal life support, ECLS) are attracting increasing interest, we hold that MV will remain the mainstay of care for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) in 2035. Whilst ECLS technology will improve, some complications are likely to remain unavoidable even in 2035 (cannula-related complications including hemorrhage or infection, and neurological complications including hemorrhage, infarction, etc.). We argue that continued improvements in the delivery of ventilatory support would ensure that MV remains safer and more feasible than ECLS. Furthermore, we argue that MV is required to avoid injury from spontaneous breathing in ARDS. …