Objective: To evaluate the effects of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) on mortality in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).
Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of HFOV as compared with conventional mechanical ventilation (CMV) in adult patients with ARDS from January 1970 to May 2013 were recruited. The data were analyzed with the methods recommended by the Cochrane Collaboration's software RevMan 5.0.
Results: Six RCTs using HFOV in adult patients with ARDS were collected for analysis. Among 1 634 eligible ARDS patients, 827 of them were enrolled into HFOV group and the reminder into CMV group. Meta-analysis revealed HFOV did not significantly decrease the hospitalization or 30-day mortality of adult ARDS patients (OR = 0.95, 95% CI 0.62-1.46, P = 0.83).
Conclusion: Compared with CMV, HFOV dose not improve prognosis in adult patients with ARDS. Thus more high-quality RCTs with larger samples are warranted.