Critical care medicine
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Critical care medicine · May 2002
Optimization of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation for the treatment of experimental pneumothorax.
To determine the effect of frequency, amplitude, inspiratory time, and mean airway pressure on gas flow through a chest tube in an animal model of pneumothorax treated with high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV). ⋯ In a neonatal piglet model of pneumothorax treated with HFOV, with amplitude adjusted to maintain constant alveolar ventilation, gas flow through the chest tube was significantly lower at 15 Hz compared with either 10 Hz or 5 Hz. Chest tube gas flow increased with increasing inspiratory time, amplitude, and mean airway pressure. These findings support the use of higher frequencies, short inspiratory times, low amplitudes, and low mean airway pressures for healing air leak with HFOV.