Perioperative Mechanical Ventilation and Postoperative Monitoring of IPI

The outcome of elective off-pump coronary artery bypass grafting (OPCAB) can be significantly compromised due to early postoperative pulmonary complications. The risk of pulmonary complications including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), atelectases, and early ventilator-associated pneumonia remains inappropriate. Therefore, the maneuvers improving pulmonary aeration and the early restoration of spontaneous breathing activity can be of clinical value. Protocol-driven liberation from mechanical ventilation (CMV) can decrease the duration of CMV as well as the number of pulmonary complications. INTELLiVENT-Assisted spontaneous ventilation (INTELLiVENT-ASV) is a new approach, that may be as effective as conventional protocol-driven liberation from CMV.

In parallel, the thorough postoperative monitoring of pulmonary function during both postoperative mechanical ventilation and spontaneous breathing is also of a great value. One of the novel approaches to respiratory monitoring is Integrated Pulmonary Index (IPI). The Integrated Pulmonary Index merges four vital parameters including end-tidal carbon dioxide (EtCO2), respiratory rate, pulse rate, and oxygen saturation (SpO2) measured by capnography and pulse oximetry into a single index value utilizing fuzzy logic model .

Inclusion criteria

• Informed consent.
• Elective OPCAB.

Exclusion criteria

• Participation in any other study.
• Morbid obesity (BWI > 40).
• The risk of pneumothorax after alveolar recruitment due to pulmonary emphysema.
• Constant atrial fibrillation with pulse rate exceeding 100/min.
• Inability to breathe easily through the nostrils and thus to gain good quality EtCO2 readings while breathing spontaneously, due to chronic rhinitis.