The effects of body position and anaesthesia with mechanical ventilation on thoracic dimensions and atelectasis formation were studied by means of computerized tomography in 14 patients. Induction of anaesthesia in the supine position reduced the cross-sectional area for both lungs and caused atelectasis formation in dependent lung regions in 4/5 patients. Conventional ventilation with positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) increased thoracic dimensions and reduced, but did not eliminate, the atelectatic areas. The vertical diameters of both lungs were smaller in the lateral position as compared to the supine position (16.7 vs 10.4 cm in the left lung and 17.3 vs 12.8 cm in the right lung). The lateral positioning also caused a large reduction of the atelectatic area in the non-dependent lung. Differential ventilation with selective PEEP to the dependent lung eliminated (3/8 patients) or reduced (5/8 patients) dependent lung atelectasis. It can be concluded that lung geometry is altered in the lateral position: the shape of the lung makes the vertical diameter of each lung less in the lateral position, compared to the supine position. The atelectatic areas are mainly located in the dependent lung in the lateral position, and these atelectatic areas could be further reduced by selective PEEP to this lung.

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Patients without respiratory symptoms were studied awake and during general anesthesia with mechanical ventilation prior to elective surgery. Ventilation-perfusion (VA/Q) relationships, gas exchange and atelectasis formation were studied during five different conditions: 1) supine, awake; 2) supine during anesthesia with conventional mechanical ventilation (CV); 3) in the left lateral position during CV; 4) as 3) but with 10 cm of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and 5) as 3) but using differential ventilation with selective PEEP (DV + SPEEP) to the dependent lung. Atelectatic areas and increases of shunt blood flow and blood flow to regions with low VA/Q ratios appeared after induction of anesthesia and CV. With the patients in the lateral position, further VA/Q mismatch with a fall in PaO2 and increased dead space ventilation was observed. Atelectatic lung areas were still present, although the total atelectatic area was slightly decreased. Some of the effects caused by the lateral position could be counteracted by adding PEEP. Perfusion of regions with low VA/Q ratios and venous admixture were then diminished, while PaO2 was slightly increased; shunt blood flow and dead space ventilation were essentially unchanged. During CV + PEEP, there was a decrease in cardiac output, compared to CV in the lateral position. DV + SPEEP was more effective than CV + PEEP in decreasing shunt flow and increasing PaO2 in the lateral position; in addition to this, cardiac output was not affected.

Surgical trauma induces a hormonal metabolic response which is partly responsible for postoperative catabolism. In this study 12 patients underwent cholecystectomy during isoflurane anaesthesia, six with a paravertebral block (PVB) in addition. Plasma concentrations of glucose, cortisol and adrenaline, and heart rate and arterial pressure were compared between the two groups. The patients with PVB showed a significantly diminished response to noxious stimuli.

We have compared two groups of patients given low- or high-dose fentanyl anaesthesia. Arterial blood samples were collected for measurement of glucose, free fatty acids (FFA), glycerol, beta-hydroxy-butyrate, insulin, c-peptide, glucagon, human growth hormone (HGH), cortisol and adrenaline concentrations. After induction of anaesthesia, blood concentrations of most of these substances decreased. After the start of surgery the concentrations of cortisol, glucose, HGH, FFA and beta-hydroxy-butyrate increased significantly in the group anaesthetized with the lower dose of fentanyl. In the group that received high-dose fentanyl anaesthesia the plasma concentrations of almost all the hormones and substances measured remained relatively low. The differences between the two groups during surgery were significant for adrenaline (P less than 0.001) and cortisol (P less than 0.001). High-dose fentanyl appears to block the trauma-induced stress response seen in patients anaesthetized with low dose fentanyl.

The cardiovascular and neuroendocrine effects of a high-dose fentanyl anaesthesia (100 micrograms/kg body weight) were compared with those of a balanced type of fentanyl anaesthesia (5 micrograms kg-1) during upper abdominal surgery. High-dose fentanyl anaesthesia prevented the increase in catecholamine concentrations and attenuated the circulatory response to surgical stress seen in the group anaesthetized with the balanced technique of anaesthesia.

The potential of differential ventilation (DV) with selective positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) has been tested versus conventional ventilation with and without general PEEP. Gas exchange and central haemodynamics were studied in 15 subjects with no clinical or radiological signs of pulmonary disease. The rationale of the method was to ensure ventilation of the well-perfused dependent lung and to counteract airway closure within that lung. The subjects were intubated with a double-lumen catheter prior to scheduled abdominal surgery. During general anaesthesia in the lateral posture, they were given DV. The mean inspired oxygen fraction was 0.32. Fifty per cent ("even" tidal volume (VT) distribution) or 70% ("inverted" VT distribution) of the inspired volume was administered to the dependent lung. Two synchronized ventilators were used. In eight subjects DV was also combined with PEEP applied solely to the dependent lung (selective PEEP). The major findings were that DV with even VT distribution reduced venous admixture by 26% (P less than 0.05) and the alveolo-arterial oxygen tension gradient (P(A-a)o2) by 30% (P less than 0.05) in comparison with conventional ventilation in the lateral position. The addition of selective PEEP further reduced the P(A-a)o2 by 13%. P(A-a)o2 was consequently 43% lower than during conventional ventilation without PEEP in the lateral posture (P less than 0.01). Selective PEEP also had less impact on cardiac output than general PEEP (P less than 0.05). It is concluded that DV with even distribution of VT and selective PEEP can reduce the P(A-a)o2 in anaesthetized lung-healthy subjects in the lateral position.