| Ventilator-Induced Lung Injury (VILI), being a significant iatrogenic complication in the ICU patients, is associated with high morbidity and mortality. Numerous approaches, protocols and ventilation modes have been introduced and examined to decrease the incidence of VILI in the ICU patients. Airway pressure release ventilation (APRV), firstly introduced by Stock and Downs in 1987, applies higher Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) levels in prolonged periods (P and T high) in order to preserve satisfactory lung volume and consequently alveolar recruitment. This mode benefits a time-cycled release phase to a lower set of pressure for a short period of time (P and T low i.e. release time) (1,2). While some advantages have been introduced for APRV such as efficiently recruited alveoli over time, more homogeneous ventilation, less volutrauma, probable stabilization of patent alveoli and reduction in atelectrauma, protective effects of APRV on lung damage only seem to be substantial if spontaneous breathing responds to more than 30% of total minute ventilation (3). APRV in ARDS patients should be administered cautiously; T low< 0.6 seconds, for recruiting collapsed alveoli; however overstretching of alveoli especially during P high should not be neglected and appropriate sedation considered |