Occasionally, newspapers report positive stories of animal species believed to be extinct, only to be discovered alive and repopulating their habitats. In this issue of JAMA, Albert and colleagues assessed the role of sigh breaths in ventilated trauma patients at risk of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Though sighs did not result in a significant improvement in the primary outcome, they were well-tolerated and were associated with an improvement in some clinical outcomes. The sigh, believed to be extinct, is back. In 1976, Fairley declared that, “The mechanical ventilation sigh is a Dodo” (the dodo is an extinct flightless bird). Despite this statement, sighs survived in the clinical practice of several centers and were the subject of substantial clinical research. Importantly, they also remained a viable option in various commercial ventilators.
Source: JAMA Online First