stable state and in acute respiratory failure. Bull Eur Pathophysiol Respir 1982; 18(suppl):155–164 3 Windisch W, Dreher M, Storre J, et al. Nocturnal noninvasive positive pressure ventilation: physiological effects on spontaneous breathing. Respir Physiol Neurobiol 2005 (in press) 4 Meecham Jones DJ, Paul EA, Jones PW, et al. Nasal pressure support ventilation plus oxygen compared with oxygen ...

Functional separation of the lungs may be accomplished by several methods. Patients with a stiff neck and limited mouth opening restrict options to a one-lung ventilation. We report the use of the WuScope video system, a new tool for facilitating double-lumen endotracheal tube placement for one-lung ventilation, in a patient who suffered from ankylosing spondylitis with a stiff, flexed neck and...

Introduction Weaning from mechanical ventilation is defined as the process of release of ventilatory support and how the evaluation of this phase is conducted in the Spontaneous Breathing Test (SBT). One of the most used modes of SBT is the Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP). However, together with the mechanical ventilation modes it can be used the Automatic Tube Compensation (ATC), wh...

Weaning from mechanical ventilation is usually straightforward but is occasionally challenging. Sedation must be used at the appropriate times and with appropriate dosing. A protocol that calls for a daily sedation holiday with a spontaneous breathing trial decreases time on the ventilator. Early tracheostomy is beneficial in traumatic brain injury patients. Noninvasive ventilation is most usef...

Methods We prospectively included mechanically ventilated patients of a 16-beds medical intensive care unit. Diaphragmatic function was estimated by the gold standard method using bilateral anterior magnetic stimulation (Ptr,stim) at two distinct time points: 1) during the first 24 hours of mechanical ventilation and 2) in the 24 hours after switching to spontaneous ventilation mode. Sepsis was...

A modification of a common commercial Xe-133 ventilation device is described for mechanically assisted ventilation imaging. The patient's standard ventilator serves as the power source controlling the ventilatory rate and volume during the xenon study, but the gases in the two systems are not intermixed. This avoids contamination of the ventilator with radioactive xenon. Supplemental oxygen and...

The lungs of 25 patients were ventilated with intermittent mandatory ventilation (IMV) during anaesthesia using the Manley Servovent Model MS. This ventilatory mode is especially suitable for prolonged operations in which there is no need for muscle relaxation. While incorporating the advantages of spontaneous and mechanical ventilation, it is superior to both in selected cases. The Manley Serv...

A patient failed to wean from mechanical ventilation. Her problem was unique in that she had a depressed central drive to breathe manifested by hypopnea when removed from the ventilator. After excluding the known problems that impair successful weaning, we empirically administered three separate infusions of doxapram, a respiratory stimulant. These infusions produced a dramatic improvement in s...

Two techniques for endotracheal anaesthesia in dental outpatients have been compared: a spontaneous ventilation technique using nitrous oxide, oxygen and halothane, and a controlled ventilation technique using nitrous oxide and oxygen, with tubocurarine and fentanyl. The latter technique has several advantages: abolition of arrhythmias induced by surgery, more rapid and hence safer recovery, av...

Constant-positive airway pressure with spontaneous ventilation was successfully used in treatment of a patient who had suffered near-drowning in salt water. The patient was able to maintain adequate respiratory mechanics, although oxygenation without end-expiratory pressure was severely impaired. The rapid improvement in arterial oxygenation obviated the need for mechanical ventilation in this ...