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Sex difference and intra-operative tidal volume : Insights from the LAS VEGAS study

Nijbroek, Sunny G ; Hol, Liselotte ; Swart, Pien ; Hemmes, Sabrine N T ; Serpa Neto, Ary ; Binnekade, Jan M ; Hedenstierna, Goran ; Jaber, Samir ; Hiesmayr, Michael and Hollmann, Markus W , et al. (2021) In European Journal of Anaesthesiology 38(10). p.1034-1041
Abstract

BACKGROUND: One key element of lung-protective ventilation is the use of a low tidal volume (VT). A sex difference in use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) has been described in critically ill ICU patients.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a sex difference in use of LTVV also exists in operating room patients, and if present what factors drive this difference.

DESIGN, PATIENTS AND SETTING: This is a posthoc analysis of LAS VEGAS, a 1-week worldwide observational study in adults requiring intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals in 29 countries.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women and men were compared with respect to use of LTVV, defined as VT of 8 ml... (More)

BACKGROUND: One key element of lung-protective ventilation is the use of a low tidal volume (VT). A sex difference in use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) has been described in critically ill ICU patients.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a sex difference in use of LTVV also exists in operating room patients, and if present what factors drive this difference.

DESIGN, PATIENTS AND SETTING: This is a posthoc analysis of LAS VEGAS, a 1-week worldwide observational study in adults requiring intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals in 29 countries.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women and men were compared with respect to use of LTVV, defined as VT of 8 ml kg-1 or less predicted bodyweight (PBW). A VT was deemed 'default' if the set VT was a round number. A mediation analysis assessed which factors may explain the sex difference in use of LTVV during intra-operative ventilation.

RESULTS: This analysis includes 9864 patients, of whom 5425 (55%) were women. A default VT was often set, both in women and men; mode VT was 500 ml. Median [IQR] VT was higher in women than in men (8.6 [7.7 to 9.6] vs. 7.6 [6.8 to 8.4] ml kg-1 PBW, P < 0.001). Compared with men, women were twice as likely not to receive LTVV [68.8 vs. 36.0%; relative risk ratio 2.1 (95% CI 1.9 to 2.1), P < 0.001]. In the mediation analysis, patients' height and actual body weight (ABW) explained 81 and 18% of the sex difference in use of LTVV, respectively; it was not explained by the use of a default VT.

CONCLUSION: In this worldwide cohort of patients receiving intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery, women received a higher VT than men during intra-operative ventilation. The risk for a female not to receive LTVV during surgery was double that of males. Height and ABW were the two mediators of the sex difference in use of LTVV.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01601223.

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author collaboration
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
keywords
Adult, Critical Illness, Female, Humans, Lung, Male, Respiration, Artificial, Sex Characteristics, Tidal Volume
in
European Journal of Anaesthesiology
volume
38
issue
10
pages
1034 - 1041
publisher
European Society of Anaesthesiology
external identifiers
  • scopus:85116958703
  • pmid:33606418
ISSN
1365-2346
DOI
10.1097/EJA.0000000000001476
language
English
LU publication?
no
additional info
Copyright © 2021 European Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care. Unauthorized reproduction of this article is prohibited.
id
807d65da-845f-4960-91eb-51a00e68ce24
date added to LUP
2026-04-20 09:57:46
date last changed
2026-06-03 08:38:37
@article{807d65da-845f-4960-91eb-51a00e68ce24,
  abstract     = {{<p>BACKGROUND: One key element of lung-protective ventilation is the use of a low tidal volume (VT). A sex difference in use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) has been described in critically ill ICU patients.</p><p>OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a sex difference in use of LTVV also exists in operating room patients, and if present what factors drive this difference.</p><p>DESIGN, PATIENTS AND SETTING: This is a posthoc analysis of LAS VEGAS, a 1-week worldwide observational study in adults requiring intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals in 29 countries.</p><p>MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women and men were compared with respect to use of LTVV, defined as VT of 8 ml kg-1 or less predicted bodyweight (PBW). A VT was deemed 'default' if the set VT was a round number. A mediation analysis assessed which factors may explain the sex difference in use of LTVV during intra-operative ventilation.</p><p>RESULTS: This analysis includes 9864 patients, of whom 5425 (55%) were women. A default VT was often set, both in women and men; mode VT was 500 ml. Median [IQR] VT was higher in women than in men (8.6 [7.7 to 9.6] vs. 7.6 [6.8 to 8.4] ml kg-1 PBW, P &lt; 0.001). Compared with men, women were twice as likely not to receive LTVV [68.8 vs. 36.0%; relative risk ratio 2.1 (95% CI 1.9 to 2.1), P &lt; 0.001]. In the mediation analysis, patients' height and actual body weight (ABW) explained 81 and 18% of the sex difference in use of LTVV, respectively; it was not explained by the use of a default VT.</p><p>CONCLUSION: In this worldwide cohort of patients receiving intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery, women received a higher VT than men during intra-operative ventilation. The risk for a female not to receive LTVV during surgery was double that of males. Height and ABW were the two mediators of the sex difference in use of LTVV.</p><p>TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01601223.</p>}},
  author       = {{Nijbroek, Sunny G and Hol, Liselotte and Swart, Pien and Hemmes, Sabrine N T and Serpa Neto, Ary and Binnekade, Jan M and Hedenstierna, Goran and Jaber, Samir and Hiesmayr, Michael and Hollmann, Markus W and Mills, Gary H and Vidal Melo, Marcos F and Putensen, Christian and Schmid, Werner and Severgnini, Paolo and Wrigge, Hermann and Gama de Abreu, Marcelo and Pelosi, Paolo and Schultz, Marcus J}},
  issn         = {{1365-2346}},
  keywords     = {{Adult; Critical Illness; Female; Humans; Lung; Male; Respiration, Artificial; Sex Characteristics; Tidal Volume}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{10}},
  number       = {{10}},
  pages        = {{1034--1041}},
  publisher    = {{European Society of Anaesthesiology}},
  series       = {{European Journal of Anaesthesiology}},
  title        = {{Sex difference and intra-operative tidal volume : Insights from the LAS VEGAS study}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/EJA.0000000000001476}},
  doi          = {{10.1097/EJA.0000000000001476}},
  volume       = {{38}},
  year         = {{2021}},
}