Anaesthesia and postoperative ventilation

SummaryA small proportion of patients will remain intubated and ventilated following general anaesthesia for a surgical procedure. There is currently a trend to shorten or remove the period of postoperative ventilation in as many patients as is safely possible. We discuss the issues involved in the decision to ventilate a patient postoperatively. The current evidence regarding postoperative ventilation in specific areas of surgery (coronary artery bypass grafting, abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, oesophagectomy, etc.) is reviewed. The available studies suggest that reducing postoperative ventilation does not increase morbidity or mortality and can reduce length of stay in both intensive care and hospital. This may have financial benefits and the trend for earlier extubation is likely to continue.