Advanced pressure control modes of ventilation in cardiac surgery: Scanty evidence or unexplored terrain?

Lung atelectasis resulting after cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) can result in increased intrapulmonary shunting and consequent hypoxemia. Advanced pressure control modes of ventilation might have at least a theoretical advantage over conventional modes by assuring a minimum target tidal volume delivery at reasonable pressures, thus having potential advantages while ventilating patients with pulmonary atelectasis postcardiac surgery. However, the utility of these modes in the post-CPB setting have not been widely investigated, and their role in cardiac intensive care, therefore, remains quite limited.