Abstract:Objective To study the effects of protective lung ventilation (PLV) strategy on postoperative delirium (POD) and recovery in patients undergoing video-assisted thoracic surgery (VATS). Methods One-hundred patients undergoing elective VATS lung cancer were randomized into a protective pulmonary ventilation group (52 patients in the PPV group) and a conventional pulmonary ventilation group (48 patients in the CPV group). Double lung ventilation was set in the PPV group: VT 8?ml/kg+PEEP 5?cmH2O, FIO2 0.7; during one lung ventilation setting, VT 6?mg/kg+PEEP 5?cmH2O+lung recruitment (continuous lung inflation method, (Ppeak) is raised to 30?cmH2O within 3 to 5?s, and remains unchanged for 30?s, repeated 3 times), FIO2 0.7 were set; double lung ventilation, VT 10?ml/kg, FIO2 1.0, and one lung ventilation setting, VT 8?ml/kg, FIO2 1.0, were set in CPV group. The two groups had a respiratory ratio of 1 : 2 and adjusted the respiratory rate to maintain end-tidal partial pressure of carbon dioxide PETCO2 from 35 to 45 mmHg. Cerebral oxygen saturation (rSO2) was used to monitor cerebral oxygenation; at the same time, intraoperative partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2) and oxygenation index (OI) were monitored. Patients were followed up for daily after surgery. The conscious disorder assessment (CAM) was used to determine whether postoperative delirium (POD) occurred or not. And postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) and postoperative recovery were recorded. Results The incidence of PaO2 and OI in the PPV group was higher than that in the CPV group (P?0.05); the incidence of intraoperative low rSO2 were lower than those in the CPV group (P?0.05); the incidence of POD and PPCs was lower than that in the CPV group (P?0.05). Moreover, the time of tracheal tube extraction, the time of getting out of bed, and the removal time of the drainage tube were shortened in the PPV group (P?0.05). Conclusions Protective lung ventilation improves oxygenation and rSO2 during mechanical ventilationin patients undergoing VATS lung surgery, and reduces the incidence of POD, the incidence of PPCs and accelerates postoperative recovery.