Intensive care medicine
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Intensive care medicine · Nov 2014
ReviewMechanisms of the effects of prone positioning in acute respiratory distress syndrome.
Prone positioning has been used for many years in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). The initial reason for prone positioning in ARDS patients was improvement in oxygenation. It was later shown that mechanical ventilation in the prone position can be less injurious to the lung and hence the primary reason to use prone positioning is prevention of ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). ⋯ We conclude with the effects of prone positioning on patient outcome, in particular on survival.