RESUMO
ICU acute respiratory distress syndrome has a high morbidity and mortality rate, and these patients usually need mechanical ventilation to maintain their respiratory function during treatment. However, improper setting of mechanical ventilation parameters may lead to ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). In order to effectively prevent the occurrence of VILI, ARDSnet recommends the use of a protective ventilation strategy with low tidal volume and limited airway plateau pressure. However, from the perspective of ventilator energy transfer, VILI is actually the result of a combination of respiratory parameters such as tidal volume, airway pressure, and respiratory rate. The mechanical power well reflects the combined effect of the above parameters and is increasingly becoming a hot topic in clinical research. In this review paper, the definitions of mechanical energy and mechanical power were introduced, and the calculation methods of mechanical power under different respiratory modes are summarized. Moreover, the clinical studies related to mechanical power and VILI and further exploration of the safety threshold of mechanical power are reviewed. It is expected to provide new ideas for the future clinical development of personalized mechanical ventilation strategies and the effective prevention of VILI.