In health the arterial blood carbon dioxide tension (PaC02) of the resting subject is kept constant between about 36 and 44 mm Hg and the arterial pH also shows little variation (pH 7.36 to 7.44). All the techniques used in general anaesthesia tend to cause variations from these normal limits and techniques involving the use of the relaxants are no exception to this rule. The relaxants reduce v...

Pulmonary ventilation and perfusion and ventilation/perfusion (V/Q) matching determine gas exchange in every lung unit in the healthy state and in the pathologically altered lung. Mismatch of V and Q lead to hypoxaemia and hypercapnia and monitoring of V/Q relations are thus important in critical illness. This thesis focuses on electrical impedance tomography (EIT) to monitor pulmonary perfusio...

OBJECTIVE To compare the effects of high-frequency oscillatory ventilation and conventional protective mechanical ventilation associated with the prone position on oxygenation, histology and pulmonary oxidative damage in an experimental model of acute lung injury. METHODS Forty-five rabbits with tracheostomy and vascular access were underwent mechanical ventilation. Acute lung injury was indu...

BACKGROUND It is known that hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction increases as a result of intermittent regional hypoxic challenges. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of sevoflurane and propofol on oxygenation and shunt fraction during one-lung ventilation in a novel model of hypoxic preconditioning before one-lung ventilation. METHODS Sixteen Wistar-albino rats were anesthetized ...

l"imIn is an excellent radiopharmaceutical for pulmonary scanning. Seven physiopathological patterns are described after the study of the results of successive perfusion and inhalation pulmonary scans-pulmonary artery obstruction, complete bronchial obstruction, partial bronchial obstruction , bronchiolar obstruction, anatomical changes in the pulmonary parenchyma, pathological pulmonary dead s...

BACKGROUND Patients undergoing general anesthesia and mechanical ventilation during major abdominal surgery commonly develop pulmonary atelectasis and/or hyperdistention of the lungs. Recent studies show benefits of lung-protective mechanical ventilation with the use of low tidal volumes, a moderate level of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and regular alveolar recruitment maneuvers duri...

PURPOSE To document and explain the beneficial effects of non-invasive ventilation in correcting hypoxemia and hypoventilation in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, during spinal anesthesia in the lithotomy position. CLINICAL FEATURES A morbidly obese patient with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease underwent prostate surgery in the lithotomy position under spinal anesthes...

OBJECTIVE To determine the feasibility, safety and efficacy of bilevel positive airway ventilation (BiPAP) in the treatment of severe pulmonary edema compared to high dose nitrate therapy. BACKGROUND Although noninvasive ventilation is increasingly used in the treatment of pulmonary edema, its efficacy has not been compared prospectively with newer treatment modalities. METHODS We enrolled ...

OBJECTIVE To determine the value of D-Dimers assay in the diagnosis of Pulmonary Embolism (PE) at Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, Rawalpindi, Pakistan from January to November 2000. METHODS Forty three consecutive patients clinically suspected of suffering from pulmonary embolism and referred to Armed Forces Institute of Pathology for Ventilation-Perfusion scan of lungs were inducted in ...

Background: Respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a medical emergency in infants resulting from a lack of or deficiency in surfactant, and leads to pulmonary failure. Surfactant and mechanical ventilation are among the primary treatments for helping infants with respiration. Some sedative drugs, such as benzodiazepines and opioids, are used to reduce stress and restlessness in...