The importance of cytokines is being increasingly realized in mechanical lung injury (a common cause of ALI/ARDS) associated with mechanical ventilation (MV). Here the pathway is identical with release of cytokines/chemokines which potentiate the extravasation, activation, and recruitment of leukocytes, causing ventilator-associated lung injury (VALI) and ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). Moreover, VALI/VILI can perpetuate the chronic inflammatory response during ALI/ARDS and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS).