[Ventilation-perfusion distribution with volume-reduced, pressure-limited ventilation with permissive hypercapnia]

Low volume pressure-limited ventilation with permissive hypercapnia (PH) may decrease the mechanical stress of the lung in acute respiratory insufficiency. Alveolar PCO2 is a determinant of regional ventilation, whereas increased mixed-venous and arterial PCO2 may affect systemic and pulmonary haemodynamics. The aim of this study was to analyse the ventilation-perfusion (VA/Q) distribution during controlled ventilation with permissive hypercapnia.

The study was approved by the ethical committee of the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald. Eleven patients with severe ARDS (lung injury severity score 2.77 +/- 0.47) were studied. Intrapulmonary shunt (QS/QT, % of QT), lung areas with 0.005 < or = VA/Q < or = 0.1 ("low" VA/Q, % of QT), lung areas with 10 < or = VA/Q < or = 100 ("high" VA/Q, % of VE), dead space ventilation (VD/VT = VA/Q > 100, % of VE) and the mean distribution of ventilation (Vmean VA/Q) and perfusion (Qmean VA/Q) were determined by the multiple inert gas elimination technique during normocapnic (NC) and hypercapnic (HC) mechanical ventilation. In addition, systemic mean arterial and pulmonary arterial pressure, cardiac output (CO) and arterial and mixed venous partial pressures for oxygen (PaO2, PvO2) and carbondioxide (PaCO2, PvCO2) were assessed.

Low-volume pressure-limited ventilation was associated with moderate hypercapnia (PaCO2 = 61 +/- 12 mmHg vs. 39 +/- 6 mmHg, p < 0.01). QS/QT increased (28 +/- 16% [NC] vs. 36 +/- 17% [HC], p < 0.05), whereas Qmean VA/Q decreased from 1.01 +/- 0.37 (NC) to 0.65 +/- 0.49 (HC), (p < 0.01) and Vmean VA/Q decreased from 1.54 +/- 0.58 (NC) to 1.12 +/- 0.93 (HC) (p < 0.05). Hypercapnia induced mild systemic hypotension and pulmonary hypertension. CO increased from 10.8 +/- 2.3 l/min to 11.6 +/- 2.6 l/min (p < 0.05). PaO2 was almost unchanged, but PvO2 increased significantly from 40 +/- 4 mmHg (NC) to 49 +/- 7 mmHg (HC) (p < 0.01).

The mechanical ventilation with permissive hypercapnia may increase shunt due to alveolar derecruitement and an impaired hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. PaO2 was unchanged due to an increased CO, PvO2 and--to a lesser extent--shift of the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve.