Objective To research the effects of airway pressure release ventilation (APRV) and synchronized intermittent mandatory ventilation (SIMV) + pressure support ventilation (PSV) on the indexes of pulmonary function, arterial blood gas of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Methods A total of 40 cases patients with ARDS who received mechanical ventilation from Peixian People's Hospital from October 2019 to October 2020 were selected and divided into the control group and the research group according to the random number table method, with 20 cases in each group. Patients in the control group were treated with SIMV+PSV mode, and patients in the research group were treated with APRV mode.All patients were continuously ventilated for 24 h and observed for 1 month after treatment. The extravascular lung water index, lung compliance, diaphragm movement amplitude, average ventilator use time, carbon dioxide partial pressure (PaCO2), blood oxygen partial pressure (PaO2), oxygenation index (PaO2/FiO2) of patients in the two goups were compared before and after treatment; the survival rate, re-intubation rate and mortality rate 1 month after treatment of patients in the two groups were observed. Results After treatment, the extravascular lung water index of patients in the research group was significantly lower than that of the control group; the diaphragm movement range was significantly greater than that of the control group; the lung compliance was significantly higher than that of the control group; the average ventilator use time was significantly shorter than that of the control group (all P <0.05). Compared with before treatment, the PaO2, PaO2/FiO2 levels of patients in the two groups increased significantly after treatment, but there was no statistically significant difference of the above-mentioned indexes between groups and the PaCO2 levels within groups and between groups (all P >0.05). The survival rate of patients in the research group was higher than that in the control group 1 month after treatment; the mortality and reintubation rate were lower than those of the control group, but the difference was not statistically significant (all P >0.05). Conclusion The application of APRV and SIMV+PSV mechanical ventilation mode treatment for ARDS patients can improve the blood gas index of the patients, and the effect is significant. However, APRV mechanical ventilation mode treatment can more effectively improve the patients'pulmonary function status.