New methods for optimization of mechanical ventilation

Abstract: Mechanical ventilation saves lives, but it is an intervention fraught with the potential for serious complications. Prevention of these complications has become the focus of research and critical care in the last twenty years. This thesis presents the first use, or the application under new conditions, of three technologies that could contribute to optimization of mechanical ventilation.Optoelectronic plethysmography was used in Papers I and II for continuous assessment of changes in chest wall volume, configuration, and motion in the perioperative period. A forced oscillation technique (FOT) was used in Paper III to evaluate a novel positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) optimization strategy. Finally, in Paper IV, FOT in conjunction with an optical sensor based on a self-mixing laser interferometer (LIR) was used to study the oscillatory mechanics of the respiratory system and to measure the chest wall displacement.In Paper I, propofol anesthesia decreased end-expiratory chest wall volume (VeeCW) during induction, with a more pronounced effect on the abdominal compartment than on the rib cage. The main novel findings were an increased relative contribution of the rib cage to ventilation after induction of anesthesia, and the fact that the rib cage initiates post-apneic ventilation. In Paper II, a combination of recruitment maneuvers, PEEP, and reduced fraction of inspired oxygen, was found to preserve lung volume during and after anesthesia. Furthermore, the decrease in VeeCW during emergence from anesthesia, associated with activation of the expiratory muscles, suggested that active expiration may contribute to decreased functional residual capacity, during emergence from anesthesia.In the lavage model of lung injury studied in Paper III, a PEEP optimization strategy based on maximizing oscillatory reactance measured by FOT resulted in improved lung mechanics, increased oxygenation, and reduced histopathologic evidence of ventilator-induced lung injury.Paper IV showed that it is possible to apply both FOT and LIR simultaneously in various conditions ranging from awake quiet breathing to general anesthesia with controlled mechanical ventilation. In the case of LIR, an impedance map representing different regions of the chest wall showed reproducible changes during the different stages that suggested a high sensitivity of the LIR-based measurements.