Respiratory system compliance during anesthesia induction and postoperative mechanical ventilation needs: An observational study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Respiratory system compliance (Crs) is a simple indicator of lung flexibility. However, it remains unclear whether a low Crs during anesthesia induction (iCrs) is associated with an increased risk of postoperative mechanical ventilation.

METHODS

This retrospective observational study was conducted using a local database. All mechanically ventilated postoperative ICU patients were included in this study. The duration of postoperative mechanical ventilation, length of hospital stay, and in-hospital mortality were compared between the low iCrs group (<25% of distribution) and the normal iCrs group.

RESULTS

A total of 315 patients were classified into the low iCrs (<39 mL/cmHO) group ( = 78) or the normal iCrs group ( = 237). Low iCrs was associated with a higher chance of mechanical ventilation in 28 days (log-rank test,  < 0.001). The duration of hospital stay was similar. Multivariate analysis showed that in-hospital mortality was higher in the low iCrs group than in the normal iCrs group (adjusted odds ratio, 6.04 [1.13, 32.26];  = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

Low iCrs was associated with an increased risk of requiring postoperative mechanical ventilation. An additional result of poor survival related to low iCrs may require further study.