Mechanical Ventilation Strategy for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19)

This is a prospective, randomized, single-center, open-label controlled trial, designed to compare the efficacy of two ventilation strategies (Low Tidal Volume and positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) based on the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS) Network low PEEP-fraction of inspired oxygen inspired oxygen fraction (FIO2) Table versus Low Driving Pressure and PEEP guided by Electrical Impedance Tomography (EIT) in reducing daily lung injury score in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by COVID-19. The two strategies incorporate different prioritizations of clinical variables. The PEEP-FIO2 table strategy aims to reduce lung overdistension, even if it requires tolerating worse gas exchange. EIT-guided strategy prioritizes mechanical stress protection, avoiding alveolar overdistension and collapse.