Airway pressure-release ventilation (APRV) is a mechanical ventilation strategy that is usually time-triggered but can be patient-triggered, pressure-limited, and time-cycled. APRV provides 2 levels of airway pressure (P(high) and P(low)) during 2 time periods (T(high) and T(low)), both set by the clinician. APRV usually involves a long T(high) and a short T(low). APRV uses an active exhalation...

Positive-pressure ventilation-induced variations in arterial pressure have been related to cardiac sympathetic activity in animals. However, the effect of beta-adrenoceptor blockade on these variations in anaesthetized humans under positive-pressure ventilation has not yet been investigated. In the present study, RAPV (respiratory-related arterial pressure variability) and %SPV (percentile syst...

This study compared the leakage characteristics of different types of dual-cannula fenestrated tracheostomy tubes during positive pressure ventilation. Fenestrated Portex® Blue Line Ultra®, TRACOE® twist, or Rüsch® Traceofix® tracheostomy tubes equipped with nonfenestrated inner cannulas were tested in a tracheostomy-lung simulator. Transfenestration pressures and transfenestration leakage rate...

Patient triggered ventilation using oesophageal pressure changes was assessed in eight premature neonates. Respiratory activity was reliably recorded and positive pressure inflation occurred synchronously with inspiration. Peristalsis resulted in only minimal interference. During patient triggered ventilation, inflating volume and oxygenation increased significantly compared with periods of con...

Preterm infants (PIs) often require respiratory support due to surfactant deficiency. Early weaning from mechanical ventilation to noninvasive respiratory support decreases ventilation-associated irreversible lung damage. This wean is particularly challenging in PIs with cleft lip and cleft palate due to anatomical difficulties encountered in maintaining an adequate seal for positive pressure v...