The investigators will evaluate the effect of low tidal volume with varying FiO2 fractions during cardiopulmonary bypass on postoperative mortality and pulmonary complications. This will be a prospective, pragmatic, cluster randomized trial including all eligible adult cardiac surgical patients requiring cardiopulmonary bypass. Each week, all operating rooms will be randomized to one of three possible ventilation strategies during the period of cardiopulmonary bypass: 1) continuous low tidal volume ventilation with inspired oxygen fraction at 1.0, 2) continuous low tidal volume ventilation with inspired oxygen fraction at 0.21, and 3) no ventilation (apnea).
This is a multi-institutional study (CCF, UPMC, OSU) evaluating different ventilation strategies during cardiopulmonary bypass on mortality and postoperative pulmonary complications.