Flow-controlled ventilation – a new and promising method of ventilation presented with a review of the literature
Szymon Białka, Piotr Palaczyński, Konstanty Szułdrzyński, Piotr Wichary, Denis Kowalski, José W.A. van der Hoorn, Lena Böttinger, Hanna Misiołek
Abstract
Substantial efforts have been undertaken to identify and minimise factors responsible for the development of ventilator-induced lung injury. A novel approach to this problem addresses energy dissipated in lung tissue during the breathing cycle as one of the key problems. Flow-controlled ventilation is a new modality of mechanical ventilation based on a constant flow during both inspiration and expiration. This review aims to evaluate the current evidence available regarding flow-controlled ventilation. Lastly, three cases of flow-controlled ventilation application are presented: ventilation with a small lumen tube during tracheal resection, one-lung ventilation during thoracoscopic lobectomy, and ventilation of a critically ill patient with acute respiratory distress syndrome in an intensive care unit setting.