INTRODUCTION The six minute walk test (6MWT) is increasingly accepted worldwide to assess functional exercise capacity of cardiac and pulmonary diseases for its simplicity. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to provide reference values for 6 Minute Walk Distance (6MWD) and other primary variables such as oxygen saturation (SaO2), pulse rate (PR) and breathlessness perception...

BACKGROUND Patent foramen ovale (PFO) are common, normally resulting in a left-to-right shunt or no net shunting. Pulmonary embolism (PE) can cause sustained increased pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and right atrial pressure. Increasing positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) improves oxygenation at the expense of increasing intrathoracic pressures (ITP). Airway pressure release ventilatio...

In Study A, the incidence of arterial oxygen desaturation was studied using pulse oximetry (SaO2) in 100 sedated and 100 nonsedated patients breathing room air who underwent diagnostic upper gastrointestinal endoscopy. Hypoxia (SaO2 92% or less of at least 15 s duration) occurred in 17% and 6% of sedated patients and nonsedated patients, respectively (p < 0.03). Mild desaturation (SaO2 94% or l...

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to estimate the incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and address the changes in arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) and heart rate (HR) in native Tibetans who reascend to the high-altitude city of Lhasa (3658 m) after a 7-year stay at low altitude. METHODS We followed two cohorts of students aged 17-21 years (859 Native Tibetan and 801 Han Chine...

OBJECTIVE To determine the value of regional cerebral oxygen saturation (rSo2), fractional cerebral tissue oxygen extraction (FTOE) measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS), and amplitude integrated electroencephalogram (aEEG) after birth asphyxia in relation to neurodevelopmental outcome. METHODS NIRS measured rSo2, FTOE, and aEEG were monitored simultaneously, together with arterial ox...

BACKGROUND Pulse oximeters are multiple used devices in anaesthesiology and intensive care medicine and must provide reliable data during various conditions of signal interference, including light, motion and reduced perfusion. The aim of this study was to evaluate the reliability of different new-generation pulse oximeters during intraaortic balloon pump (IABP) therapy. METHODS In the experi...

Sildenafil causes pulmonary vasodilation, thus potentially reducing impairments of hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension on exercise performance at altitude. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of sildenafil during normoxic and hypoxic exercise. We hypothesized that 1) sildenafil would have no significant effects on normoxic exercise, and 2) sildenafil would improve cardiac ...

BACKGROUND The management of neonates with complex congenital anomalies depends on careful interpretation of arterial blood gas values. Improved interpretation of these oxygen parameters may allow clinicians to avoid unexpected cardiovascular events. This study examined whether systemic oxygen delivery (DO2) can be maximized by the use of indices derived from oxygen saturation measurements in n...

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the usefulness of transcutaneous carbon dioxide pressure (TcPCO2) monitoring in patients hospitalized for respiratory disease. PATIENTS AND METHODS We used a SenTec TcPCO2 monitor that also determines transcutaneous oxygen saturation (SpO2) by means of a sensor placed behind the ear lobe at a temperature of 42 degrees C. We compared arterial blood gas measurements--PaCO2...