Routine practice in mechanical ventilation in cardiac surgery in Italy

Management of mechanical ventilation is among the most important skills for a modern anesthesiologist. Securing the airway and providing controlled or assisted mechanical ventilation are fundamental requirements for safe delivery of anesthesia. In recent decades, much progress has been made in protective lung strategy during surgery, including low tidal volume (TV), low plateau and driving pressure, recruitment maneuvers (RMs), and adequate positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) (1-3)