Benefit of Physiologically Variable Over Pressure-Controlled Ventilation in a Model of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Randomized Study

Physiologically variable ventilation prevents lung function deterioration in a model of pulmonary fibrosis

Positive pressure ventilation exerts an increased stress and strain in the presence of pulmonary fibrosis. Thus, ventilation strategies that avoid high pressures while maintaining lung aeration are of paramount importance. While physiologically variable ventilation (PVV) has proven beneficial in various models of pulmonary disease, its potential advantages in pulmonary fibrosis have not been investigated. Therefore, we assessed the benefit of PVV over conventional pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) in a model of pulmonary fibrosis. Lung fibrosis was induced with intratracheal bleomycin in rabbits. Fifty days later, the animals were randomized to receive 6 hours of either PCV (n=10) or PVV (n=11). The PVV pattern was prerecorded in spontaneously breathing, healthy rabbits. Respiratory mechanics and gas exchange were assessed hourly, end-expiratory lung volume and intrapulmonary shunt fraction were measured at hours 0 and 6. Histological and cellular analyses were performed. Fifty days after bleomycin treatment, the rabbits presented elevated specific airway resistance (69±26% [mean±95%confidence interval]), specific tissue damping (38±15%) and specific elastance (47±16%) along with histological evidence of fibrosis. Six hours of PCV led to increased respiratory airway resistance (Raw, 111±30%), tissue damping (G, 36±13%) and elastance (H, 58±14%), and decreased end-expiratory lung volume (EELV, -26±7%) and oxygenation (PaO₂/FiO₂, -14±5%). The time-matched changes in the PVV group were significantly lower for G (22±9%), H (41±6%), EELV (-13±6%) and PaO₂/FiO₂ ratio (-3±5%, p<0.05 for all). There was no difference in histopathology between the ventilation modes. Thus, prolonged application of PVV prevented the deterioration of gas exchange by reducing atelectasis development in bleomycin-induced lung fibrosis.

Novel ventilation techniques in children

Extraordinary progress has been made during the past few decades in the development of anesthesia machines and ventilation techniques. With unprecedented precision and performance, modern machines for pediatric anesthesia can deliver appropriate mechanical ventilation for children and infants of all sizes and with ongoing respiratory diseases, ensuring very small volume delivery and compensating for circuit compliance. Along with highly accurate monitoring of the delivered ventilation, modern ventilators for pediatric anesthesia also have a broad choice of ventilation modalities, including synchronized and assisted ventilation modes, which were initially conceived for ventilation weaning in the intensive care setting. Despite these technical advances, there is still room for improvement in pediatric mechanical ventilation. There is a growing effort to minimize the harm of intraoperative mechanical ventilation of children by adopting the protective ventilation strategies that were previously employed only for prolonged mechanical ventilation. More than ever, the pediatric anesthesiologist should now recognize that positive-pressure ventilation is potentially a harmful procedure, even in healthy children, as it can contribute to both ventilator-induced lung injury and ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction. Therefore, careful choice of the ventilation modality and its parameters is of paramount importance to optimize gas exchange and to protect the lungs from injury during general anesthesia. The present report reviews the novel ventilation techniques used for children, discussing the advantages and pitfalls of the ventilation modalities available in modern anesthesia machines, as well as innovative ventilation modes currently under development or research. Several innovative strategies and devices are discussed. These novel modalities are likely to become part of the armamentarium of the pediatric anesthesiologist in the near future and are particularly relevant for challenging ventilation scenarios.