Positive End-Expiratory Pressure

Positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is the positive pressure that will remain in the airways at the end of the respiratory cycle (end of exhalation) that is greater than the atmospheric pressure in mechanically ventilated patients.An analogous term used for non-invasive ventilation is end positive airway pressure (EPAP) for patients receiving bi-level positive airway pressure (BPAP).Continuous positive airway pressure therapy (CPAP), although not an interchangeable term, works by delivering a constant pressure, which at the time of exhalation works in the same way as PEEP.PEEP can be a therapeutic parameter set in the ventilator (extrinsic PEEP), or a complication of mechanical ventilation with air trapping (auto-PEEP).