Prolonged mechanical ventilation increases diaphragm arteriole circumferential stretch without changes in stress/stretch: Implications for the pathogenesis of ventilator‐induced diaphragm dysfunction

Abstract

During prolonged MV, medial costal diaphragm arteriolar shear stress is severely diminished. Despite no change in the material behavior (stress/stretch), prolonged MV resulted in altered structural and mechanical properties (ie, elevated circumferential stretch) of medial costal diaphragm arterioles. This provides important novel mechanistic insights into the impaired diaphragm blood flow capacity and vascular dysfunction following prolonged MV.