Highest PEEP you've seen?

mh0712, MSN, RN · Jan 1, 2014

I saw a PEEP of 20 or 25 when a post op heart was bleeding. However, some really bad ARDS can get up there like yours. When it's so high like that they get so much Barotrauma. Those poor lungs =\

umcRN, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2014

I've seen 15 in a baby...24, yikes!

nurse111 · Jan 2, 2014

Peep of 40

2k15NurseExtern4u, BSN, RN · Jan 2, 2014

Whats a PEEP? (nursing student here..)

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Jan 2, 2014

Whats a PEEP? (nursing student here..)

Not sure how far into your semesters...it's Positive-End-Expiratory Pressure

You'll get more concrete details in your studies; although here's the Wikipedia version:

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Positive_end-expiratory_pressure

sapphire18 · Jan 2, 2014

Peep of 40

Ahh! ARDS?

Biffbradford · Jan 3, 2014

Don't blow a bleb. What were the other settings. I would think that if you're that high in peep, it's time to try something else. (if there is something else)

nurse111 · Jan 3, 2014

In the case of peep of 40 I mentioned the patient was over 800lbs. And severely septic. Unfortunately despite our efforts did not make it (but did for 5 or 6 days with that 40 of peep and 100% fi02) patient was also on 200 of neo .07 vasopressin 60 to 80 of norepi and 80 to 100mcg/min epi

sapphire18 · Jan 3, 2014

Jeeeezzz those are some crazy numbers right there. The 24 of PEEP was also a large pt- 400lbs- I've never thought of weight factoring into amount of PEEP required but I guess it makes sense that it could. Hmm.

TraumaSurfer · Jan 3, 2014

Per ARDSnet protocol you can use a PEEP of 24 cmH2O. Anybody who has worked the ICUs for 20+ years might remember PEEPs of 50 or more in trauma patients.