• Cecilia M Acosta, María Paz Lopez Vargas, Facundo Oropel, Lisandro Valente, Lila Ricci, Marcela Natal, Suarez Sipmann Fernando F, and Gerardo Tusman.
• From the Department of Anaesthesiology Hospital Privado de Comunidad (CMA, FO, GT, LV, MPLV), Department of Mathematics, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Mar del Plata, Argentina (LR, MN), Hedenstierna Laboratory, Department of surgical Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden (FSS), CIBERES, Instituto Carlos III (FSS) and Department of Critical Care, Hospital Universitario de La Princesa, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain (FSS).
• Eur J Anaesthesiol. 2021 Jan 1; 38 (1): 41-48.

BackgroundContinuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) prevents peri-operative atelectasis in adults, but its effect in children has not been quantified.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to evaluate the role of CPAP in preventing postinduction and postoperative atelectasis in children under general anaesthesia.DesignA randomised controlled study.SettingSingle-institution study, community hospital, Mar del Plata. Argentina.PatientsWe studied 42 children, aged 6 months to 7 years, American Society of Anesthesiologists physical status class I, under standardised general anaesthesia.InterventionsPatients were randomised into two groups: Control group (n = 21): induction and emergence of anaesthesia without CPAP; and CPAP group (n = 21): 5 cmH2O of CPAP during induction and emergence of anaesthesia. Lung ultrasound (LUS) imaging was performed before and 5 min after anaesthesia induction. Children without atelectasis were ventilated in the same manner as the Control group with standard ventilatory settings including 5 cmH2O of PEEP. Children with atelectasis received a recruitment manoeuvre followed by standard ventilation with 8 cmH2O of PEEP. Then, at the end of surgery, LUS images were repeated before tracheal extubation and 60 min after awakening.Main Outcome MeasuresLung aeration score and atelectasis assessed by LUS.ResultsBefore anaesthesia, all children were free of atelectasis. After induction, 95% in the Control group developed atelectasis compared with 52% of patients in the CPAP group (P < 0.0001). LUS aeration scores were higher (impaired aeration) in the Control group than the CPAP group (8.8 ± 3.8 vs. 3.5 ± 3.3 points; P < 0.0001). At the end of surgery, before tracheal extubation, atelectasis was observed in 100% of children in the Control and 29% of the CPAP group (P < 0.0001) with a corresponding aeration score of 9.6 ± 3.2 and 1.8 ± 2.3, respectively (P < 0.0001). After surgery, 30% of children in the Control group and 10% in the CPAP group presented with residual atelectasis (P < 0.0001) also corresponding to a higher aeration score in the Control group (2.5 ± 3.1) when compared with the CPAP group (0.5 ± 1.5; P < 0.01).ConclusionThe use of 5 cmH2O of CPAP in healthy children of the studied age span during induction and emergence of anaesthesia effectively prevents atelectasis, with benefits maintained during the first postoperative hour.Trial RegistryClinicaltrials.gov NCT03461770.

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