What is the recommended adjustment to ventilation strategy in response to decreased compliance?

When dealing with decreased compliance in a mechanical ventilation context, reducing the tidal volume is a recommended adjustment. Decreased compliance indicates that the lungs are stiffer than normal, which means they are less able to expand with a given volume of air. If the tidal volume is increased in this scenario, it could lead to over-distention of the lungs, potentially causing further barotrauma and compromising ventilation efficacy.

By reducing the tidal volume, the ventilator can help manage the pressures exerted on the lungs, making it less likely to induce further lung injury. This approach often focuses on the principle of lung protective ventilation strategies, which aim to minimize ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI) by using lower tidal volumes and higher respiratory rates to achieve adequate ventilation without causing harm.

Increasing the respiratory rate could also be considered to ensure adequate minute ventilation, but this alone wouldn't address the underlying issue of compliance. Additionally, sedation might have its own implications and should be approached with caution depending on the clinical scenario. Overall, the safest choice in the context of decreased compliance is to reduce the tidal volume.