Introduction: Halting ventilation during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) is implemented to operate in a less bleeding setting. It sustains a better visualization of the operation area and helps to perform the operation much more comfortably. On the other hand, it may lead to a series of postoperative lung complications such as atelectasis and pleural effusion. In this study, we investigated the effects of low tidal volume ventilation on inflammatory cytokines during CPB.

Methods: Twenty-eight patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery were included in the study. Operation standards and ventilation protocols were determined and patients were divided into two groups: patients ventilated with low tidal volume and non-ventilated patients. Plasma samples were taken from patients preoperatively, perioperatively from the coronary sinus and postoperatively after CPB. IL-6, IL-8, TNF-α and C5a levels in serum samples were studied with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) kits.

Results: C5a, IL-6, IL-8 and TNF-α levels were similar when compared to the low tidal in volume ventilated and non-ventilated groups (P>0.05). Comparing the groups by variables, IL-6 levels were increased during CPB in both groups (P=0.021 and P=0.001), and IL-8 levels decreased in the ventilation group during CPB (P=0.018).

Conclusion: Our findings suggest that low tidal volume ventilation may reduce the inflammatory response during CPB. Although the benefit of low tidal volume ventilation in CPB has been shown to decrease postoperative lung complications such as pleural effusion, atelectasis and pneumonia, we still lack more definitive and clear proofs of inflammatory cytokines encountered during CPB.