The critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients usually present acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), or even acute respiratory failure, and require mechanical ventilation (MV) to provide support for breathing However, clinical studies have found an extraordinarily high mortality rate (50%) for those Covid-19 patients who underwent MV Considering the mechanical nature of MV, the high mortality rate is highly possible to be associated with mechanical stretch-induced lung injury during MV Thus, it is imperative to understand the MV-induced pathological alterations in the respiratory system and corresponding mitigation measures in order to improve the therapy of critically ill Covid-19 patients Ventilator-induced lung injury in therapy of critically ill Covid-19 patients involves several biomechanical factors and mechanisms, including changes in respiratory parameters, inflammatory cytokines storm, ciliary-mucus system, airway smooth muscle cells, lung fibrosis, and stretch-activated cell signaling It is hoped that these biomechanical issues can be diligently investigated, so as to provide insights for optimizing the therapy for Covid-19 as well as other respiratory diseases
Biomechanical issues of mechanical ventilation in Covid-19 therapy