Comparing Active Heated and Passive Humidification Devices During Video-Assisted Thoracic Surgery with One-Lung Ventilation in Adults

What this Trial Is About

General anesthesia with endotracheal intubation bypasses the natural warming and humidifying functions of the upper airway, which may lead to thicker secretions, reduced airway clearance, and increased risk of postoperative pulmonary complications PPCs. Patients undergoing video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery VATS, especially those requiring one-lung ventilation, face higher chances of lung complications due to altered lung function and ventilation. This study aims to observe how different methods of respiratory gas humidification during surgery affect these complications and overall clinical outcomes. The study compares two methods of humidifying respiratory gases during surgery active heated humidification AHH, which warms and moistens gases to near body conditions, and passive heat and moisture exchangers HMEs, which conserve heat and moisture from exhaled air. Patients receive either method based on routine anesthetic practice without any intervention or randomization by the study. The humidification devices are integrated into the anesthesia breathing circuit during mechanical ventilation throughout the surgery. Participants will be observed from the time of surgery through the first week following surgery. Researchers will monitor lung function, oxygen levels during ventilation, airway secretion thickness, suctioning frequency, and occurrences of low body temperature and pulmonary complications. They will also track the need for oxygen therapy, ventilation support, and length of stay in the intensive care unit and hospital. Blood tests and other clinical outcomes up to 30 days after surgery will be recorded to assess recovery and complications.

Clinical Effects of Intraoperative Heat and Moisture Exchange Systems During Thoracic Surgery: A Prospective Observational Cohort Study