Mechanical Power Differs Between Pressure-Controlled Ventilation and Different Volume-Controlled Ventilation Modes
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 31, 2025

Ex Vivo Porcine Experimental Model for Studying and Teaching Lung Mechanics
Published on: April 19, 2024
Petra J Rietveld1, Jacob W M Snoep1, Marjolein Lamping1
1All authors: Department of Intensive Care, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Objectives:
Mechanical power (MP) is a way of estimating the energy delivered by the ventilator to the patient. For both volume-controlled ventilation (VCV) and pressure-controlled ventilation (PCV) methods have been described to calculate the MP. The pressure-volume (PV) loop, from which the MP is calculated, is different for VCV compared with PCV. We aimed to compare the MP of VCV with zero pause time (VCV-0), VCV with 10% pause time (VCV-10), and PCV within patients in different patient categories based on severity of lung injury.
Design:
In a proof-of-concept study, we enrolled 46 mechanically ventilated patients without spontaneous breathing efforts. Baseline measurements were done in pressure-controlled mode. Subsequently, measurements were done in VCV-0 and VCV-10. Tidal volume and all other settings were kept the same.
Setting:
ICU, single university medical center.
Patients:
Fifty-eight cases in 46 patients on controlled ventilation modes.
Interventions:
Comparison between the MP of PCV, VCV-0, and VCV-10.
Measurement And Main Results:
The mean MP of VCV-0, VCV-10, and PCV was 19.30, 21.80, and 20.87 J/min, respectively (p < 0.05 for all comparisons). The transpulmonary MP of VCV-0, VCV-10, and PCV was 6.75, 8.60, and 7.99 J/min, respectively (p < 0.05 for all comparisons).
Conclusions:
In patients ventilated in a controlled mode, VCV without pause time had the lowest MP followed by PCV. VCV with 10% pause time had the highest MP.
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