Abstract
It is known that the only effective therapy for acute lung injury (ALI/ARDS) is the lung protective ventilation strategy keeping tidal volume as small as possible so as to prevent alveolar collapse. However, there is no description regarding alveolar collapse in the definition of diffuse alveolar damage, the patho-histologic finding corresponding to ALI. This discrepancy between physiologic and pathologic knowledge is caused by the lack of correct understanding of dynamic behavior of the alveolar structure. I have constructed a 4D alveolar model, and reproduced a pressure-volume- shape curve of the alveolus, which explains how the alveolar collapse would occur and be prevented in ALI.
