Significant variability in potential for lung recruitment in patients with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) requiring extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

47 adults with severe ARDS requiring ECMO were sought to quantify potential for lung recruitment and its relationship with outcomes in this cohort study.

Patients with high potential for lung recruitment had a shorter ICU stay and shorter extracorporeal membrane oxygenation duration.

In patients with severe ARDS syndrome, mainly of pulmonary origin, the potential for lung recruitment and the weight of non-aerated, poorly aerated, normally aerated, and hyperaerated lung tissue were assessed at low (5 cmH2O) and high (45 cmH2O) airway pressures.

Patients were categorized as high or low potential for lung recruitment based on the median potential for lung recruitment value of the study population.

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