Mechanical ventilation strategies in children

The last decade has been marked by major advances in the management of pediatric respiratory failure. We now know that the choice of mechanical ventilation strategy can influence the subsequent course of lung injury. As such, mechanical ventilation can no longer be viewed simply as a harmless support modality that is employed to keep patients alive while disease-specific treatments are used to ameliorate the underlying pathology. This review will examine the various challenges of providing mechanical ventilation to pediatric patients with acute respiratory failure, including those with diseases of increased airway resistance and diseases of abnormal lung compliance.