Higher positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) during mechanical ventilation can result in improved oxygenation, but it can also give rise to ventilator-induced lung injury. In this work, we used a rabbit model to evaluate the sensitivity of a hyperpolarized xenon-129 MRI technique that allows a comprehensive assessment of the pulmonary gas-transport by the entire lung for monitoring the impact of PEEP on lung function. We observed that increased PEEP resulted in a large decrease in pulmonary gas transport that is most likely linked to a lengthened pulmonary transit time.
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