Noninvasive continuous positive airway pressure is a lung- and diaphragm-protective approach in self-inflicted lung injury

• Cruces, Pablo

• Lung Injury

Strenuous spontaneous effort can promote lung and diaphragmatic injury in acute lung injury (ALI), phenomena known as “patient self-inflicted lung injury” (P-SILI) and load-induced diaphragmatic injury, respectively (1–3). Although continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can relieve hypoxemia and work of breathing (4), it is controversial if it prevents lung and diaphragmatic injury (5, 6). We aimed to investigate the effects of noninvasive CPAP on lung and diaphragmatic injury in an ALI model compared with unassisted animals.