[Protective ventilation reduces postoperative pulmonary complications - Contra]. / Protektive Beatmung reduziert postoperative pulmonale Komplikationen - Contra.

ABSTRACT

Protective ventilation is a treatment strategy for patients with ARDS. The main goals are the prevention of de-recruitment and overinflation and hence development of VILI. Therefore, protective ventilation is an individualised therapy by adjusting PEEP and Vt in respect to patient' own volume-pressure-curve. Nowadays the term "protective ventilation" is reduced to ventilation with Vt 6 ml/kg only. Although protective ventilatory strategies are used in patients with severe pulmonary impairment there is a trend to transfer this strategy to healthy humans undergoing surgery. In ventilated patients with healthy lungs a ventilation with Vt higher than 17 ml/kg seems to increase the risk for development of VILI. Nevertheless, many studies show a association between application of protective intraoperative ventilatory strategies and a reduced rate of postoperative pulmonary complications. However, "protective ventilation" has not been standardised yet, and the adequate Vt and PEEP in an individual patient undergoing surgery has still to be clarified. Therefore, due to inconsistent intraoperative ventilation and methodical flaws it remains questionable if a generalized Vt reduction copes this complex topic. One should be aware that reduction of Vt may increase the rate of atelectasis and has been shown to be associated with increased mortality.