Mechanical Ventilation in Surgical Patients

This is an investigator-initiated, international, multicenter, prospective, cross-sectional study The here proposed study aims to 1) describe the incidence and types of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs), 2) describe patient demographics, baseline characteristics, and intraoperative ventilation management, 3) describe the occurrence of intraoperative adverse events (IAEs), and 4) their associations with PPCs, 5) assess the practice of intraoperative mechanical ventilation.

Patients will be eligible for participation if: 1) adult and 2) receiving intraoperative ventilation during general anesthesia for surgery. Patients receiving ventilation outside of an operating room as well as patients receiving intraoperative ventilation during extracorporeal life support will be excluded.

The primary endpoint is to report the number of patients with PPCs occurring in the first 5 postoperative days. As secondary endpoint, the practice of mechanical ventilation in patients undergoing general anesthesia for surgery will be ascertained including key intraoperative ventilator characteristics and respiratory system mechanics. Other secondary endpoints will include: incidence and type of IAEs; postoperative complications other than PPCs in the first 5 postoperative days; intensive care unit (ICU) admission and length of stay, hospital length of stay, and hospital mortality on day 28.

Participating hospitals have the flexibility to choose a specific time period for data collection, but it is imperative that this process occurs within 8 weeks from receiving approval by the local Ethics Committee. Furthermore, each participating center will conduct data collection during a predetermined 7-day period. Local investigators will capture data in an electronic case recording form, including patient demographics and baseline characteristics, intraoperative ventilator settings and ventilation parameters, and outcomes.