About this episode

This episode discusses ventilation strategies in infants with bronchiolitis, featuring insights from a study on airway closure.

In this episode of the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Podcast, host Maureen Madden, DNP, RN, CPNP-AC, CCRN, FCCM, speaks with Javier Varela, MD, MSc, about his study, “Acute Bronchiolitis in Infants on Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: Physiology Study of Airway Closure,” published in the September 2025 issue of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine. The study revealed new insights into airway pathophysiology in infants with severe bronchiolitis who require mechanical ventilation, a population that comprises a substantial portion of winter pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) admissions worldwide. Dr. Varela is an intensivist in the PICU in the Department of Pediatrics at Clínica Alemana de Santiago, in Santiago, Chile. Differing ventilatory strategies and the heterogeneous phenotypes of bronchiolitis motivated Dr. Varela’s team to investigate airway closure, which was detected in seven of the 12 patients included in the study. Airway opening pressure frequently exceeded the set positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) levels—highlighting a potential gap in traditional ventilator management. Dr. Varela explains that respiratory mechanics, particularly driving pressure and…

People in this episode

Host: Maureen Madden

Guest: Javier Varela

Topics covered

• ventilation strategies
• bronchiolitis
• pediatric intensive care
• mechanical ventilation
• airway pathophysiology

Keywords

• bronchiolitis
• mechanical ventilation
• pediatric care
• airway closure
• respiratory mechanics

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Society of Critical Care Medicine, Clínica Alemana de Santiago

Books & works: Acute Bronchiolitis in Infants on Invasive Mechanical Ventilation: Physiology Study of Airway Closure

Places: Santiago, Chile

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