Static Compliance
Tidal volume delivered per unit of driving pressure — a bedside marker of how stiff the lung and chest wall are.
Formula
Static compliance = Tidal volume / (Plateau pressure − PEEP)
Result
Enter all values to see the result.
Limitations
- Requires a true end-inspiratory pause with no patient effort — spontaneous breathing invalidates the plateau pressure measurement and this calculation.
- Reflects the combined compliance of lung and chest wall together, not the lung alone.
- A single measurement is less informative than trending compliance over time in the same patient.
References
- Standard respiratory-system compliance relationship (Vt / driving pressure); see also Compliance and Driving Pressure in the Physiology Library.
Clinical Context & Relevant Topics (4)
Disease ReferenceAcute, diffuse inflammatory lung injury causing hypoxemia and bilateral infiltrates not fully explained by cardiac failure or fluid overload.
Complete clinical topic overview. For the full 10-level interactive course, visit Master MV. Covers core ventilator modes, respiratory mechanics (Cstat, Raw, driving pressure), waveform dyssynchrony analysis, VILI prevention, and liberation protocols.
Pathophysiology of dynamic hyperinflation, auto-PEEP hemodynamics, stepped acute pharmacotherapy, and ventilator mechanics in status asthmaticus.
Pathophysiology of acute-on-chronic hypercapnia, controlled oxygen targets (88–92%), evidence-based NIV, and auto-PEEP matching mechanics.
Relevant Clinical Pathways (12)
Decision ProtocolsFrom post-intubation verification and lung-protective settings to mechanics optimization.
From readiness screening and spontaneous breathing trials to extubation and post-extubation support.