Use of Airway Pressure Release Ventilation in Morbidly Obese Patients Undergoing Open Heart Surgery to Improve Post Operative Pulmonary Outcomes

Obesity is an ongoing worldwide problem, and as such, weight-related issues arise especially in the intensive care unit (ICU). Morbid obesity adversely affects physiology; restricted thoracic movement and increased intra-abdominal pressure leads to reduced lung volumes and compliance resulting frequently in atelectasis, ventilation-perfusion mismatch.

Cardiac surgical patients are at particular risk for PPCs. The use of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is responsible for a systemic inflammatory response and oxidative stress, leading to pulmonary ischemia-reperfusion injury. Mechanical ventilation frequently is disrupted during CPB, thus inducing atelectasis. Some proposed mechanisms are leukocyte activation, fluid accumulation in the lung and atelectasis.

Atelectasis is a highly prevalent pulmonary complication in patients undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) and an important cause of postoperative hypoxemia. Pulmonary collapse occurs early after the induction of anesthesia and persists for several days postoperatively. Studies based on thoracic computed tomography (CT) have shown that pulmonary collapse is mainly distributed to the dependent regions close to the diaphragm and may encompass up to 35% of the overall lung parenchyma which predispose to pneumonia.

This impairment of lung function, particularly oxygenation of the blood, is a common and potentially serious complication after cardiac surgery. It has been shown to persist for as long as one week after the operation.

In obese patients, the functional residual capacity (FRC) and lung compliance are reduced, and thus the elastic work of breathing (WOB) is elevated. By applying continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), the FRC is restored, and inspiration starts from a more favorable pressure-volume relationship, facilitating spontaneous ventilation, and improves oxygenation.