Microcirculatory dysfunction and dead-space ventilation in early ARDS: a hypothesis-generating observational study

Increased heterogeneity of microcirculatory blood flow evaluated at sublingual mucosa seems to be related to increases in V_D/V_T, while respiratory mechanics and oxygenation parameters do not. Whether there is a cause-effect relationship between microcirculatory dysfunction and dead-space ventilation in ARDS should be addressed in future research.