Table 1 Participant information. All ventilator settings refer to first day of study. APACHE III score was calculated in the first 24 h of ICU admission as described by Knaus et al. [27]. PEEP positive end-expiratory pressure, FiO2 fraction of inspired oxygen, IQR interquartile range
|  | Active (n = 10) | Control (n = 10) |
|---|---|---|
Age (years) [median (IQR)] | 56.5 (18.50) | 61.0 (17.25) |
Gender [M/F] | 7/3 | 5/5 |
Severity of illness at ICU admission | ||
 APACHE III score [median (IQR)] | 81.5 (37.75) | 82.0 (14.00) |
Diagnostic category at admission [n (%)] | ||
 Brain injury | 6 (60%) | 2 (20%) |
 Sepsis/septic shock | 0 | 3 (30%) |
 Respiratory failure | 0 | 2 (20%) |
 Trauma | 0 | 0 |
 Post-surgical | 1 (10%) | 0 |
 Meningitis | 1 (10%) | 1 (10%) |
 Other | 2 (20%) | 2 (20%) |
Baseline ventilation characteristics | ||
 Mode of ventilation [n (%)] | ||
  Synchronized intermittent-mandatory ventilation | 10 (100%) | 9 (90%) |
  Adaptive pressure ventilation | 0 | 1 (10%) |
 PEEP (cmH2O) [median (IQR)] | 10.0 (3.50) | 10.0 (2.25) |
 FiO2 (%) [median (IQR)] | 25.0 (6.75) | 30.0 (10.00) |
Exposure to intervention (min) [median (IQR)] | 366 (293.8) | 555 (492.5) |