Diaphragm neurostimulation during mechanical ventilation reduces atelectasis and transpulmonary plateau pressure, preserving lung homogeneity and PaO2/FIO2

Temporary transvenous diaphragm neurostimulation has been shown to mitigate diaphragm atrophy in a preclinical model. This study contributes to this work by demonstrating that diaphragm neurostimulation can also offer lung protection from ventilator injury, providing a potential solution to the dilemma of lung- versus diaphragm-protective ventilation. Our findings show that neurostimulation on every breath preserved [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text], end-expiratory lung volume, alveolar homogeneity, and required lower pressures than lung-protective ventilation over 50 h in healthy pigs.