Lung Recruitment Assessment With Lung Ultrasound In Pediatric Patient Scheduled For Laparoscopic Surgery

Anesthesia-induced atelectasis is a well-known entity observed in approximately 68-100% of pediatric patients undergoing general anesthesia. The collapse of dependent lung zones starts with anesthesia induction but can persist for hours or even days after surgery. Such anesthesia-related atelectasis has a number of negative clinical consequences such as the impairment of arterial blood oxygenation and lung mechanics as well as the predisposition for ventilator-associated lung injury. The adjustment of ventilator settings for preventing the occurrence of atelectasis and for reducing pulmonary complications remains controversial. Lung sonography (LUS) plays an important role in diagnosing pulmonary diseases in children, including atelectasis of different origins. LUS has demonstrated its high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosing anesthesia-induced atelectasis in children.