Ventilatory pressure modes in anesthesia

SummaryMechanical ventilation is a fundamental tool in the clinical daily management of anesthetic procedures and it constitutes a cornerstone in the final evolution of the critical patients. Historically, Volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) has been the universal ventilatory mode used by the anesthesiologists in operating theatre. Nevertheless, since Pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) was proposed as an alternative to VCV in ICU patients with ALI/ARDS, there has been renewed interest in ventilatory pressure modes in anesthesia. At present the anesthesia workstations usually have available some different modes such as PCV or pressure support ventilation (PSV). The purpose of this review is to evaluate whether ventilatory pressure modes, such as the PCV offer some benefit over the classic VCV, during anesthesia for different types of patients and surgery.