ABSTRACT
Both Drefuss and Saumon32 and Slutsky and Tremblay33 have proposed that VILI may cause or extend the level of multiple system organ failure (MSOF). As noted in the previous discussion, an inappropriate ventilatory pattern can induce both mechanical failure of the lung and the release of inflammatory mediators. These inflammatory mediators can move from the lung into the systemic circulation via fractures in pulmonary capillaries and affect organ systems external to the lung. Although this is speculative, the evidence in animal models clearly indicates it is plausible. In fact, the lung may be the engine in many settings that drives the extent of MSOF33.
