What is a recruitment maneuver in mechanical ventilation?

A recruitment maneuver in mechanical ventilation is a specific technique used to reopen collapsed or partially collapsed alveoli in the lungs, thereby enhancing lung compliance and improving oxygenation. The correct answer involves closing the airway pressure limit (APL) and providing a deep breath; this allows for the application of high pressure to the airways for a short period, helping to recruit and aerate those areas of the lung that may be collapsed.

By using this method, the ventilator delivers a significant volume of air into the lungs, temporarily increasing pressure and helping to expand the atelectatic (collapsed) lung units. This can improve overall gas exchange and oxygenation, which are critical in patients with conditions such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Other options do not adequately describe recruitment maneuvers. Administering high tidal volumes without careful control may lead to barotrauma or volutrauma and is not a targeted recruitment strategy. Reducing PEEP does not actively recruit collapsed lung units; rather, it may decrease functional residual capacity and worsen oxygenation. Maintaining normal tidal volumes is related to continuous ventilation strategy but does not specifically address the need to recruit collapsed alveoli.