Inert gas exchange during pneumoperitoneum at incremental values of positive end-expiratory pressure

Laparoscopy is a surgical technique for a growing variety of abdominal operations. In patients undergoing this procedure, arterial blood oxygenation and hemodynamics are frequently depressed. This study evaluated the effect of different levels of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) during intraperitoneal CO(2) insufflation on the lung's ventilation-perfusion distribution in a porcine model. We studied 13 anesthetized pigs with an intraperitoneal pressure of 15 cm H(2)O applied at either incremental values of PEEP (5-20 cm H(2)O, increments of 5 cm H(2)O) or a constant PEEP of 5 cm H(2)O. The effects of CO(2) pneumoperitoneum on inert gas exchange and hemodynamics were examined with the multiple inert gas elimination technique. During pneumoperitoneum, gas exchange was most augmented by 15 and 20 cm H(2)O of PEEP. Although the differences in hemodynamics between the individual settings were insignificant, 10 cm H(2)O of PEEP provided the smallest impairment of hemodynamics. We conclude that PEEP of 15 H(2)O during pneumoperitoneum resulted in a modest hemodynamic depression but significant gas exchange augmentation in our experiment.

Anesthetized pigs, with a pneumoperitoneum of 15 cm H(2)O, were treated either with incremental values of positive end-expiratory pressure (5-20 cm H(2)O, increments of 5 cm H(2)O) or with a constant positive end-expiratory pressure of 5 cm H(2)O. Fifteen and 20 cm H(2)O resulted in significantly improved pulmonary gas exchange compared with 5 cm H(2)O.