Final answer:
The FALSE statement about permissive hypercapnia is that it increases pulmonary vascular resistance. Permissive hypercapnia actually can lower intrathoracic pressure, reduce barotrauma, and may reduce systemic oxygenation slightly.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that is FALSE about permissive hypercapnia is option d: It increases pulmonary vascular resistance. Permissive hypercapnia is a strategy used in mechanical ventilation where slightly elevated levels of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia) are tolerated to avoid the harmful effects of high ventilatory pressures. This strategy can indeed lower intrathoracic and alveolar pressures (a) and can reduce the incidence of barotrauma (b), which is damage to body tissues caused by a difference in pressure between air or gas spaces inside the body and the surrounding fluid. However, permissive hypercapnia does have the potential to reduce systemic oxygenation (c) to some extent, contrary to this option stating it does not. Finally, permissive hypercapnia does not increase pulmonary vascular resistance; instead, it can cause vasodilation and potentially decrease resistance.