The search for a reliable and accurate respiratory rate monitor for use in non-intubated patients has proved to be a long and fruitless one. A new device fulfilling the criteria for such a monitor has recently been described. The pyroelectric polymer (PEP) device is safe, non-invasive, and cheap. In this study the PEP device, transthoracic impedance, and standard observer counting were all comp...

In a recent discussion concerning the use of the forced oscillation technique (FOT), PRIDE [ 1] stated that, although anaesthesia and intensive care are among the obvious areas of application of the method, there is very little information on these applications. The paper by PEsuN et al. [2] in the present issue of the Journal describes one of the first attempts to apply the FOT to mechanically...

The influence of posture on respiratory mechanics was investigated in 10 healthy volunteers, using the forced pseudorandom noise technique. Subjects were studied in four randomly selected positions: sitting; sitting with the head turned sideways; supine; and prone with the head turned sideways. Respiratory compliance (Crs), inertance (Irs) and resistance estimated at 4 Hz (R4), were calculated ...