Airway pressure release ventilation in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: not yet, we still need more data!

Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) is a pressure-limited and time-cycled mode of mechanical ventilation that is without the need for patient-ventilator interaction. The original concept, first described by Downs and Stock in 1987, was to keep the patient at an elevated continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) pressure most of the time, with periodic releases to facilitate CO 2 clearance (1).