Monitorización respiratoria con tomografía de impedancia eléctrica durante la ventilación de protección pulmonar y maniobra de reclutamiento alveolar en un paciente con trasplante unipulmonar y disfunción precoz del injerto

A case is presented on a patient who underwent left single lung transplantation for emphysema type COPD. There was early graft dysfunction grade iii during the immediate postoperative period, which required the implantation of an extracorporeal membrane oxygenator (ECMO). Respirator ventilatory parameters were adjusted to avoid lung distension, low tidal volume (Vc) (280 ml), high respiratory rates (20 rpm), and a positive pressure at end expiration (PEEP) level of 8 cmH2O. On monitoring the pulmonary tidal volume distribution by bedside electrical impedance tomography (EIT), it was noted that most of the tidal volume was distributed in the native lung emphysema. An alveolar recruitment manoeuvre was performed, under control of the EIT, that enabled the current volume and distribution and the pressures required to ventilate the transplanted lung to be observed.