General anaesthesia may affect the respiratory system in many different ways, resulting in intra-operative and post-operative pulmonary complications such as alteration of residual functional capacity and atelectasis. The aim of this review is: 1) to analyse different proposed strategies of protective mechanical ventilation during general anaesthesia for laparoscopic, openabdominal and cardiac surgery and 2) to overview the different ventilatory modes commonly used during general anaesthesia in the operating room.
Keywords: Protective mechanical ventilation, residual functional capacity, atelectasis, protective tidal volume, positive end-expiratory pressure, recruitment manoeuvres