Clinical Research Directory

Ventilation Mode and Atelectasis After Prone-Position Surgery: A Lung Ultrasound Study

This prospective single-centre observational study compared two intraoperative mechanical ventilation modes, volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) and volume-guaranteed pressure-controlled ventilation (VG-PCV), in adults undergoing elective surgery in the prone position. The ventilation mode was selected by the attending anaesthesiologist as part of routine clinical care; the investigators did not assign it. Perioperative atelectasis was assessed using a modified bilateral 12-zone lung ultrasound score obtained before induction of anaesthesia and after extubation, and oxygenation was assessed using the alveolar-arterial oxygen gradient calculated from an intraoperative arterial blood gas sample. The study also examined whether the effect of ventilation mode on atelectasis differed according to obesity.