Ventilator Induced Lung Injury Vili

Patients with morbid obesity who require a breathing machine (mechanical ventilator) in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) frequently experience partial lung collapse. This happens because the extra weight of the chest and abdomen presses on the lungs, reducing their capacity and making it difficult to maintain adequate oxygen levels. To address this, doctors often perform a standard lung recruitment maneuver, which involves temporarily increasing the air pressure from the ventilator to gently pop open the collapsed lung areas. However, standard bedside monitoring tools make it difficult to see exactly how well the different regions of the lungs are reopening. This prospective observational study aims to evaluate the use of Bedside Lung Ultrasound (LUS), which is a safe, radiation-free imaging tool, to monitor how well the lungs respond to these maneuvers in real-time. During the study, researchers will use a standardized 12-zone ultrasound scan to examine the lungs of mechanically ventilated adult patients (BMI ≥ 33 kg/m²) before, during, and after a step-by-step lung recruitment maneuver. By calculating a "Total Lung Ultrasound Score," the medical team can directly visualize and measure the transition from collapsed tissue to normal, aerated lung tissue. Furthermore, the ultrasound will be used during a step-down pressure phase to help identify the patient's "optimal PEEP" (Positive End-Expiratory Pressure), which is the exact customized pressure needed to keep the lungs open after the maneuver is complete, thereby improving oxygenation and minimizing the risk of lung injury.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if the new ventilation mode flow-controlled ventilation (FCV) is a more protective mode of ventilation for adult patients after severe burn injury. The main question it aims to answer is: Does FCV reduce the mechanical power (a key determinant of ventilator-induced lung injury) compared to conventional pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) during ventilation of patients with burn injury? Researchers will compare FCV with PCV for up to 70 hours of ventilation to see if the mechanical power is reduced during ventilation of participants being in need of ventilation after severe burn injury. Ventilation of participants will be controlled by either FCV or PCV. Group-specific ventilation will have the following characteristics: * FCV: Control of airway flows during inspiration and expiration, use of individualized lower and upper airway pressures and no fixed values for the volumes being inspired and expired (tidal volumes) * PCV: No control of airway flows during expiration, use of individualized lower airway pressures and upper airway pressures for a fixed tidal volume during each breath (6-8 ml/kg ideal body weight) In total, at least 24 participants in need of ventilation after severe burn injury will be ventilated either with FCV (12 participants) or PCV (12 participants) for up to 70 hours. During ventilation mechanical power is computed according to certain ventilation parameters. Additionally, we evaluate organ functions of the cardiovascular systems, the lungs and other organs during and after the group-specific ventilation.