The disclosure provides a method for controlling the delivery of a breathing gas to a patient including automatic lung recruitment maneuvers. The method may include regulating the FiO2 and the PEEP of the breathing gas delivered to the patient, determining a blood oxygenation level of the patient, automatically adjusting the FiO2 of the breathing gas delivered to the patient based on at least the blood oxygenation level of the patient, and in response to determining that the FiO2 of the breathing gas delivered to the patient exceeds a pre-determined value: automatically initiating a lung recruitment maneuver and automatically increasing the PEEP of the breathing gas delivered to the patient.
