Effect of the Prolonged Inspiratory to Expiratory Ratio on Oxygenation and Respiratory Mechanics During Surgical Procedures

Prolonged inspiratory to expiratory (I:E) ratio ventilation has been researched to reduce lung injury and improve oxygenation in surgical patients with one-lung ventilation (OLV) or carbon dioxide (CO(2)) pneumoperitoneum. We aimed to confirm the efficacy of the 1:1 equal ratio ventilation (ERV) compared with the 1:2 conventional ratio ventilation (CRV) during surgical procedures. Electronic databases, including PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched. Prospective interventional trials that assessed the effects of prolonged I:E ratio of 1:1 during surgical procedures. Adult patients undergoing OLV or CO(2) pneumoperitoneum as specific interventions depending on surgical procedures. The included studies were examined with the Cochrane Collaboration's tool. The data regarding intraoperative oxygenation and respiratory mechanics were extracted, and then pooled with standardized mean difference (SMD) using the method of Hedges. Seven trials (498 total patients, 274 with ERV) were included. From overall analysis, ERV did not improve oxygenation at 20 or 30 minutes after specific interventions (SMD 0.193, 95% confidence interval (CI): −0.094 to 0.481, P = 0.188). From subgroup analyses, ERV provided significantly improved oxygenation only with laparoscopy (SMD 0.425, 95% CI: 0.167–0.682, P = 0.001). At 60 minutes after the specific interventions, ERV improved oxygenation significantly in the overall analysis (SMD 0.447, 95% CI: 0.209–0.685, P < 0.001) as well as in the subgroup analyses with OLV (SMD 0.328, 95% CI: 0.011–0.644, P = 0.042) and laparoscopy (SMD 0.668, 95% CI: 0.052–1.285, P = 0.034). ERV provided lower peak airway pressure (P(peak)) and plateau airway pressure (P(plat)) than CRV, regardless of the type of intervention. The relatively small number of the included articles and their heterogeneity could be the main limitations. ERV improved oxygenation at all of the assessment points during laparoscopy. In OLV, oxygenation improvement with ERV was observed 1 hour after application. ERV could be beneficial to reduce the P(peak) and P(plat).