General Anesthesia with Preserved Spontaneous Breathing through an Intubation Tube

Abstract

Objective: to study whether spontaneous patient breathing may be preserved during elective operations under general anesthesia with tracheal intubation. Subjects and methods. One hundred and twelve patients undergoing elective surgeries under general endotracheal anesthesia were randomized into 2 groups: 1) patients who had forced mechanical ventilation in the volume-controlled mode and 2) those who received assisted ventilation as spontaneous breathing with mechanical support. Conclusion. The study shows that spontaneous breathing with mechanical support may be safely used during some surgical interventions in patients with baseline healthy lungs. Key words: Pressure Support, assisted ventilation, spontaneous breathing, general anesthesia, lung function.