• Marc Gainnier, Antoine Roch, Jean-Marie Forel, Xavier Thirion, Jean-Michel Arnal, Stéphane Donati, and Laurent Papazian.
• Service de Réanimation Médicale, Hôpitaux Sud, Marseille, France.
• Crit. Care Med. 2004 Jan 1;32(1):113-9.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the effects of a 48-hr neuromuscular blocking agents (NMBA) infusion on gas exchange over a 120-hr time period in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome.DesignMultiple center, prospective, controlled, and randomized trial.SettingFour adult medical or mixed medical-surgical intensive care units.PatientsA total of 56 patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome with a PaO2/FiO2 ratio of <150 at a positive end-expiratory pressure of > or =5 cm H2O.InterventionsAfter randomization, patients received either conventional therapy without NMBA (control group) or conventional therapy plus NMBA for the next 48 hrs. The initial ventilator mode was volume-assist/control. The ventilator remained on assist-control mode throughout the initial 48-hr period in both groups. Tidal volume was 6-8 mL/kg ideal body weight.Measurements And Main ResultsWhen analyzed for the entire 120 hrs, there was a significant effect of the NMBA on the course of PaO2/FiO2 ratio (p =.021). Separate comparisons at each time point indicated that patients randomized to the NMBA group had a higher PaO2/FiO2 at 48, 96, and 120 hrs after randomization. Moreover, a decrease of positive end-expiratory pressure (p =.036) was only found in the NMBA group. Two-way repeated-measures analysis of variance exhibited a decrease in positive end-expiratory pressure over time (p =.036). Concerning short-term effects, there was no modification of PaO2/FiO2 ratio 1 hr after randomization in either group. Only one patient (from the control group) developed pneumothorax.ConclusionsUse of NMBA during a 48-hr period in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome is associated with a sustained improvement in oxygenation.

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