IntroductionIn acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) several studies have shown that mechanical ventilation with high tidal volume (V T ) and low levels of positive endexpiratory pressure (PEEP) can promote ventilatorinduced lung injury (VILI), thus increasing morbidity and mortality [1]. An open lung strategy, combining the use of low V T with adequate PEEP levels and recruitment maneuvers, has thus been recommended in ARDS patients [2]-[4]. In patients without ARDS admitted to intensive care units (ICUs), who required mechanical ventilation for at least 12 hours, the use of a high V T signifi cantly increased the infl ammatory response [5], [6]. In contrast to critically ill patients, during general anesthesia, mechanical ventilation is required only for a few hours, thus the benefi cial eff ects of lung-protective ventilation remain questionable. Moreover, there are limited data from few randomized controlled trials with only small cohorts of enrolled patients.Two recent meta-analyses that enrolled patients from ICUs and the operating room (OR) showed that lungprotective ventilation was associated with lower mortality and postoperative complications [2], [7]. However, there are no recommendations regarding optimal ventilatory strategies in patients without lung injury during general anesthesia.In the present article, we provide a comprehensive picture of the current literature on lung-protective ventilation during general anesthesia in patients without ARDS, focusing on the applications of this strategy in patients undergoing abdominal, thoracic and cardiac surgery.
How mechanical ventilation is applied in the operating roomAlthough the protective ventilation approach may be benefi cial in a broader population with and without ARDS, the use of high V T without PEEP is still common during general anesthesia. A large French multicenter observational study, in which more than 2,900 patients undergoing general anesthesia were enrolled, showed that 18 % of patients were ventilated with a V T greater than 10 ml/kg body weight and 81 % without PEEP [8]. Moreover, a recruitment maneuver was applied in only 7 % of patients.Similarly a 5-year observational study, in which 45,575 patients were enrolled, reported that although use of a V T less than 10 ml/kg and PEEP levels greater than 5 cmH 2 O increased progressively over time, 16-18 % of patients continued to receive a V T greater than 10 ml/kg without application of PEEP [9]. Th e presence of obesity and a short height were the main risk factors for receiving a large V T during prolonged anesthesia [10].
Rationale for lung-protective ventilation during general anesthesiaGeneral anesthesia aff ects lung function primarily because of the loss of muscle tone, which promotes a reduction in lung volume, an alteration in ventilationperfusion ratio and the onset of lung atelectasis. Th e development of atelectasis is very common and occurs in more than 90 % of subjects undergoing general anesthesia [11], [12]. Atelectasis is mainly due to three basic mechanisms [13], ...