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Description / Table of Contents: Abstract. Intrinsic positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEPi) occurring during mechanical ventilation depends on expiratory time constants, expiratory volume and expiration time as well as on external flow resistance (tubes, valves, etc.). It is not routinely determined in mechanically ventilated patients, but it is necessary to optimize respirator settings. The aim of the present study was the validation of an automated PEEPi determination method implemented in the respirator EVITA (Drägerwerke, Lübeck) in mechanically ventilated patients with acute lung failure. Patients. The method was validated in ten sedated, myorelaxed patients with respiratory insufficiency of different etiologies (five with restrictive, and five with obstructive pulmonary disease). PEEPi was determined using the volume constant ventilatory mode at ZEEP or at an external PEEP of 5 as well as 10 cm H2O. Method. PEEPi was first determined with the automated method implemented in the EVITA (five measurements at each end-expiratory pressure level; PEEPEvita). Steady-state was attained between each measurement. These values were compared to the results obtained with end-expiratory occlusion (external, computer-controlled valve in the inspiratory limb of the circuit) at the respective pressure levels (PEEPEEO). The average of five measurements at each PEEP level with each method was defined as PEEPi for the particular ventilatory situation. Gas flow was measured at the proximal end of the endotracheal tube with a heated pneumotachometer (Fleisch no. 2, Fleisch, Lausanne, Switzerland) and a differential pressure transducer. Tracheal pressure was determined in the same position with a further differential pressure transducer (Dr. Fenyves & Gut, Basel, Switzerland). After A/D conversion, data were sampled with a frequency of 20 Hz and processed on an IBM compatible PC. Software for data collection and processing as well as for control of the occlusion valve was self-programmed. For the statistical analysis we used the Mann-Whitney U-test or Wilcoxon signed-ranks test; a P value less than 0.05 was considered significant. Results. At the given respiratory setting and without PEEP patients with obstructive lung disease had a higher PEEPi (median: 6.4 cm H2O; range: 5.0 – 9.6 cm H2O) than those with restrictive pulmonary disease (median: 2.3 cm H2O; range: 0.8 – 3.0 cm H2O) (P〈0.05). Increasing external PEEP to 5 or 10 cm H2O significantly decreased the pressure difference between PEEPi and external PEEP (P〈0.05), but was unable to eliminate it completely. There was no statistically significant difference between PEEPEEO and PEEPEvita (P=0.43; Wilcoxon signed-ranks tests). Regression analysis showed a highly significant correlation between PEEPEEO and PEEPEvita values (r=0.985, P〈0.001; y=1.03x−0.18). Discussion. PEEPi occurs during ventilation in patients with obstructive and restrictive lung disease. The difference between external end-expiratory pressure and PEEPi decreases with increasing external PEEP. However, PEEPi may increase with increasing external PEEP in some instances. The reason for this may be that the PEEPi determined at the proximal end of the endotracheal tube represents only a mean value of different PEEPi values of various lung regions. Increasing external PEEP only partially alters this mean value due to an effect on PEEPi values lower than external PEEP. The PEEPi values measured by the EVITA respirator compared with classical end-expiratory occlusion with an external valve were nearly identical. Unfortunately, PEEPi measurement of the EVITA can only be performed during controlled and not during assisting (PSV, BIPAP etc.) ventilation. Optimal respirator settings require a knowledge of PEEPi (i.e., adaption of external PEEP for lowering the work of breathing in COPD patients or prolongation of the expiratory phase to avoid unwanted side effects of an occult PEEPi on the circulation). Since modern microprocessor-controlled respirators can easily be updated with the necessary equipment, measurement of PEEPi should be a part of routine ventilatory monitoring today.

Description / Table of Contents: Abstract. Automated measurements of respiratory gas exchange recently became available for the determination of oxygen uptake (V˙O2) in critically ill patients. Whereas these metabolic gas monitoring systems (MBM) are assumed to measure total body V˙O2, the reversed Fick method in principle excludes intrapulmonary V˙O2. Previous clinical reports comparing V˙O2 measured by the reversed Fick principle (V˙O2  Fick) with V˙O2 measured by MBM (V˙O2  MBM) found that V˙O2  MBM was significantly greater than V˙O2  Fick. It was suggested that these differences between methods represent V˙O2 of pulmonary and bronchial tissue, as intrapulmonary V˙O2 had been estimated to account for 15% of total body V˙O2 in dogs with experimental pneumonia. The objective of this study was to compare V˙O2  Fick with V˙O2  MBM in patients with and without pneumonia and to assess the reproducibility of both methods in critically ill patients. Method. With institutional approval nine critically ill patients with acute pneumonia were studied under controlled mechanical ventilation. The diagnosis of pneumonia was based on respective changes of chest X-rays, body temperature 〉38 °C, and WBC counts 〉12,000/mm3. Inspiratory oxygen fractions (FIO2) ranged from 0.3 to 0.6; all patients routinely received opioids and hypnotics. Complete muscle relaxation was achieved during the periods of measurement to avoid sudden changes in V˙O2 due to shivering or involuntary movements. Arterial and pulmonary-arterial blood samples were drawn simultaneously after aspiration of the sevenfold catheter dead space. Measurements of haemoglobin concentration (Hb), fractional oxygen saturation (SO2), and O2 partial pressure (PO2) were performed by use of a calibrated haemoximeter and blood gas analyser, respectively; 2×5 thermodilution measurements of cardiac output (CO) were spread randomly over the respiratory cycle for each determination of V˙O2  Fick. To minimise systematic errors of CO measurements, the CO computer was calibrated in an extracorporeal model using an electromagnetic flowmeter. Calculations of V˙O2  Fick were based on an oxygen binding capacity of 1.39 ml/g Hb. Simultaneous measurements of V˙O2  MBM were obtained by use of a Datex Deltatrac MBM that had been validated in vitro with a gas dilution model of respiratory gas exchange. Calibration of the MBM was performed prior to each measurement. Gas supply of the respirator was provided by an external high-precision mixing device to reduce errors in V˙O2 measurements that may arise from short-term oscillations in FIO2. All patients with pneumonia were studied on three consecutive days; thus, measurements from 27 days could be analysed. On each day two sets of measurements were performed at an interval of 60 min to assess the reproducibility of differences between methods. During each set of measurements duplicate blood samples were drawn twice, before and after thermodilution measurements of CO, to evaluate the short-term repeatability of V˙O2  Fick. The beginning and the end of each set of measurements were marked in the computer record of the MBM to assess the respective repeatability of V˙O2  MBM. Fifty control measurements were performed in ten patients undergoing major neurosurgical procedures. None of these patients exhibited signs of pulmonary infection. Except for the number of repeated measures, all V˙O2 measurements were obtained in the same way as in the study group. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed according to Bland and Altman; comparisons between methods were done by multivariate analysis of variance for repeated measures. Results. Neither in the study group nor in the control group could a significant difference between methods be demonstrated. In patients with pneumonia the mean difference between methods (V˙O2  Fick−V˙O2  MBM) was 15.2 ml/min (4.2%); the double standard deviation of differences (2 SD) was 59.2 ml/min (19.2%). Control patients exhibited a mean difference of 7.2 ml/min (3.1%); 2 SD was 41.1 ml/min (20.4%). Duplicate determinations of V˙O2  Fick and V˙O2  MBM within one set of measurements showed a repeatability coefficient (2 SD of differences between repeated measures) of 43.8 ml/min (13.2%) and 15.3 ml/min (5.1%), respectively. The large variation of duplicate measurements of V˙O2  Fick was caused rather by the variability of arteriovenous O2 content determinations than by the variability of CO measurements. Discussion. These results are in contrast to previous method comparison studies, which suggested that in infected lungs V˙O2 of pulmonary and bronchial tissue represents up to 15% of total body V˙O2. Since the mean differences between V˙O2  Fick and V˙O2  MBM did not differ between the two groups of patients, pulmonary infection did not seem to cause a considerable increase in intrapulmonary V˙O2. A minor effect of intrapulmonary V˙O2 on differences between methods cannot be excluded because of the variability of data. The poor repeatability of V˙O2  Fick measurements, however, seems to limit the use of method comparison studies for estimation of intrapulmonary V˙O2.