Driving pressure is the strongest single mortality predictor in ARDS (Amato et al. NEJM 2015). No adult guideline sets a cutoff; in pooled ARDS data, values above about 14-15 cmH₂O go with higher mortality (Aoyama 2018).
Driving pressure
17cmH₂O
↑ 15 or higher, in the range tied to higher ARDS mortality — consider lowering TV or recruiting + raising PEEP to lower plateau.
Driving P = 25 − 8 = 17 cmH₂O
Lower is better. No adult guideline cutoff; ARDS cohorts tie values above about 14-15 to higher mortality (Amato NEJM 2015; Aoyama Crit Care Med 2018)