Question

In which of the following conditions is PEEP NOT likely to be useful?

A) ARDS

B) pulmonary edema

C) acute lung injury

D) neuromuscular disease

Answer 1

Positive End-Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) is not useful in neuromuscular diseases because these conditions do not involve the alveolar collapse or fluid accumulation that PEEP addresses, but rather they affect the respiratory muscles' ability to function.

Step-by-step explanation:

Positive End-Expiratory Pressure (PEEP) is a mode of mechanical ventilation that maintains a higher airway pressure at the end of expiration to improve oxygenation by preventing airway collapse and improving functional residual capacity. PEEP is beneficial in several pulmonary conditions where gas exchange is compromised due to alveolar collapse or fluid-filled alveoli, such as in acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), pulmonary edema, and acute lung injury. However, it is generally not useful in neuromuscular diseases which affect the chest wall or respiratory muscles rather than the alveoli themselves.

Neuromuscular diseases do not typically lead to the alveolar collapse or fluid accumulation that PEEP is designed to mitigate; instead, they impair the ability of the muscles to initiate and maintain a breath.