Fig. 2From: Alveolar instability (atelectrauma) is not identified by arterial oxygenation predisposing the development of an occult ventilator-induced lung injuryStepwise increases in low levels of PEEP (3–9 cmH2O) led to an increase in both alveolar stability and arterial oxygenation as measured by pO2. High levels of PEEP (12–18 cmH2O), however, improved arterial oxygenation in a stepwise fashion without a concomitant increase in alveolar stabilityBack to article page