Ann Clin Med Res | Volume 5, Issue 1 | Case Report | Open Access

Chest Wall Loading in Severe ARDS: A Case Report

Wei-Hung C, Chieh-Jen W, Yen-Siang T, Yu-Chung K and Chang-Yi L

¹Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Pulmonary, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taiwan ²Department of Critical Care Medicine, MacKay Memorial Hospital, Taiwan

^*Correspondance to: Wang Chieh-Jen 

Abstract

Chest Wall Loading (CWL) has emerged as a potential strategy to enhance oxygenation and lung compliance in patients with Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). We present a case of a 58-year-old female, post-leukemia bone marrow transplant, who developed severe ARDS. Despite conventional protective ventilation, her oxygenation did not significantly improve. Following suboptimal response to prone ventilation, we implemented CWL. Placing a 5-kg sandbag on the upper back of the patient resulted in an immediate increase in lung compliance from 27.3 ml/ cmH2O to 34.4 ml/cmH2O and a decrease in plateau pressure from 29 cmH2O to 23 cmH2O. Postintervention, the patient's PaO2/FiO2 ratio improved dramatically from approximately 70 to 300, indicating substantial clinical improvement. This case highlights the potential benefits of CWL in selected ARDS patients and lays the groundwork for further research in this area.

Keywords:

Local Chest Wall Compression; Severe ARDS; Prone Positioning; Belly Push

Citation:

Wei-Hung C, Chieh-Jen W, Yen-Siang T, Yu-Chung K, Chang-Yi L. Chest Wall Loading in Severe ARDS: A Case Report. Ann Clin Med Res. 2024; 5(1): 1072..