Modes of mechanical ventilation for the operating room.
Most patients undergoing surgical procedures need to be mechanically ventilated, because of the impact of several drugs administered at induction and during maintenance of general anaesthesia on respiratory function. Optimization of intraoperative mechanical ventilation can reduce the incidence of post-operative pulmonary complications and improve the patient's outcome. Preoxygenation at induction of general anaesthesia prolongs the time window for safe intubation, reducing the risk of hypoxia and overweighs the potential risk of reabsorption atelectasis. Non-invasive positive pressure ventilation delivered through different interfaces should be considered at the induction of anaesthesia morbidly obese patients. Anaesthesia ventilators are becoming increasingly sophisticated, integrating many functions that were once exclusive to intensive care. Modern anaesthesia machines provide high performances in delivering the desired volumes and pressures accurately and precisely, including assisted ventilation modes. Therefore, the physicians should be familiar with the potential and pitfalls of the most commonly used intraoperative ventilation modes: volume-controlled, pressure-controlled, dual-controlled and assisted ventilation. Although there is no clear evidence to support the advantage of any one of these ventilation modes over the others, protective mechanical ventilation with low tidal volume and low levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) should be considered in patients undergoing surgery. The target tidal volume should be calculated based on the predicted or ideal body weight rather than on the actual body weight. To optimize ventilation monitoring, anaesthesia machines should include end-inspiratory and end-expiratory pause as well as flow-volume loop curves. The routine administration of high PEEP levels should be avoided, as this may lead to haemodynamic impairment and fluid overload. Higher PEEP might be considered during surgery longer than 3 h, laparoscopy in the Trendelenburg position and in patients with body mass index >35 kg/m(2). Large randomized trials are warranted to identify subgroups of patients and the type of surgery that can potentially benefit from specific ventilation modes or ventilation settings.
['Ball|Lorenzo|L|', 'Dameri|Maddalena|M|', 'Pelosi|Paolo|P|']
D000768:Anesthesia, General D006801:Humans D007430:Intraoperative Care D008171:Lung Diseases D009873:Operating Rooms D010100:Oxygen D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration D011183:Postoperative Complications D012121:Respiration, Artificial D013514:Surgical Procedures, Operative D013990:Tidal Volume
mechanical ventilation induction general anaesthesia preoxygenation non-invasive positive pressure ventilation pressure-controlled ventilation volume guaranteed volume-controlled ventilation