Driving pressure guided ventilation

Protective ventilation is a prevailing ventilatory strategy these days and is comprised of small tidal volume, limited inspiratory pressure, and application of positive end-expiratory pressure. However, several retrospective studies recently suggested that tidal volume, inspiratory pressure, and positive end-expiratory pressure are not related to patient outcomes, or only related when they influenced the driving pressure. Therefore, this review introduces the concept of driving pressure and looks into the possibility of driving pressure-guided ventilation as a new ventilatory strategy, especially in thoracic surgery where postoperative pulmonary complications are common, thus, lung protection is utmost important.