Chest
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To assess the accuracy of the respiratory inductance plethysmograph (RIP) for monitoring ventilation during sleep-associated bronchoconstriction, five adult patients with nocturnal worsening of their asthma were monitored overnight in the sleep laboratory. Three of the five patients demonstrated episodic paradoxic respiratory motion of the lower rib cage undetected by the RIP. ⋯ Flow measurements derived from RIP were also inaccurate in the presence of lower rib cage paradox, with the mean error of the measurement increasing from 9.0 +/- 2.5 to 33.5 +/- 5.3 percent (p less than .001). We conclude that RIP is an unreliable technique for quantitatively monitoring ventilation in sleeping asthmatic patients.
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High-frequency jet ventilation (HFJV) is FDA-approved for ventilating patients with bronchopleural fistulae (BPF), yet little is known about its effect on the fistula airleak. We quantitated a patient's BPF airleak during both conventional volume-cycled ventilation and HFJV. ⋯ CTS also significantly increased the airleak. HFJV may not always be the preferential method for ventilating patients with BPF and we recommend measuring the fistula airleak when attempting to optimize a patient's ventilatory parameters.
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We performed YAG laser photoresection in 11 patients with tracheal or mainstem bronchial obstruction due to malignant or benign disorders. We used maximal inspiratory-expiratory flow-volume loops and expiratory volume-time plots to assess air flow limitation. Forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), peak expiratory flow (PEF) and iso-volume maximal flows at 50 percent of forced inspiratory and expiratory volume were calculated. ⋯ In particular, peak flow improved in all patients, and FEV1 improved in nine of 11 patients, even though four patients had moderate to severe obstructive ventilatory defects which persisted after resection and were probably due to longstanding chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. We conclude that flow-volume loops and spirometry are helpful in assessing the site and nature of malignant large airway obstructive processes and, moreover, provide reliable information for evaluating the efficacy of laser photoresection. Serial physiologic studies indicate changes in the caliber of the upper airways and can be used as a simple means of following these patients.
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Weaning from mechanical ventilation is a procedure performed daily in intensive care units. This study sought to determine whether among postoperative patients there were any differences in the changes in oxygen consumption (VO2) and carbon dioxide production (VCO2) between those patients in whom mechanical ventilation was successfully discontinued and those in whom it was continued or reinstituted. A stepwise reduction in mandatory breaths (from 10 to 12 to 4 to 6), followed by a period of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), was the weaning method. ⋯ In the group (N = 17) who were not successfully weaned, VO2 and VCO2 increased 8 +/- 10 percent and 6 +/- 9 percent, respectively, while PaCO2 rose (37.9 +/- 4 to 42.5 +/- 2.9) significantly (p less than 0.02). There was a significantly greater decrease (15 +/- 3 percent) in VE than in the other group. Changes in VO2 or VCO2 did not aid in predicting which patients would be successfully weaned.