Ultrasound to Evaluate Failure of Liberation From Mechanical Ventilation

The transition to unassisted breathing after invasive ventilation often proves challenging, with over 40% of patients failing their first attempt of unassisted breathing. Persistent ventilator dependence predisposes patients to nosocomial complications and increases the economic burden of critical illness. Ventilator-dependence results from an imbalance between the load and capacity of the respiratory muscle pump. Patients who fail a trial of spontaneous breathing commonly exhibit excess respiratory loads secondary to weaning-induced pulmonary edema, atelectasis or dynamic hyperinflation. Many patients who are dependent on the ventilator also show a striking loss of pump capacity due to diaphragm dysfunction. Though each of these mechanisms respond to specific interventions, it is often difficult for physicians to discern which mechanisms are at play at the bedside. Bedside ultrasound is a potentially useful means of evaluating cardiac, pulmonary and diaphragm function during weaning failure. It is readily available, highly feasible and already widely employed in clinical practice. As yet, no study has evaluated the accuracy and feasibility of combining echocardiography with lung and diaphragm ultrasound to comprehensively evaluate the physiological mechanisms of weaning failure. The objectives of this study are to establish the utility of a rapid thoracic ultrasound exam to diagnose mechanisms of ventilation liberation failure and to assess the relationship between cardiothoracic variability during spontaneous breathing and different physiological mechanism of weaning failure.