Effect of PEEP on lung water content in experimental noncardiogenic pulmonary edema.

After administration of monocrotaline to dogs to produce noncardiogenic pulmonary edema, one-half of the animals (controls) were treated with intermittent positive pressure breathing (IPPV), and one-half with that ventilation plus the addition of 10 cm H2O of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). After 6 h, the animals treated with PEEP demonstrated significantly better arterial oxygenation and reduced AaDO2, but lung water, quantitated either postmortem or in vivo by indicator-dilution techniques, was no less than controls. Although PEEP improves gas exchange, it fails to modify the degree of pulmonary edema represent.