Mechanical ventilation is associated with increased survival of preterm infants but is also associated with an increased incidence of chronic lung disease (bronchopulmonary dysplasia) in survivors. Nasal continuous positive airway pressure (nCPAP) is a form of noninvasive ventilation that reduces the need for mechanical ventilation and decreases the combined outcome of death or bronchopulmonary...

In the previous issue of Critical Care, Jung and colleagues report on the preventive effects of hypercapnia on ventilator-induced diaphragmatic dysfunction (VIDD) under controlled ventilation. Possibly, a combination of controlled hypercapnia and allowed spontaneous breathing efforts may provide complementary protection for diaphragm and respiratory functionality during mechanical ventilation. ...

Blood pressure and cerebrospinal fluid pressure changes were studied during lumbar air encephalography under general anaesthesia. Two anaesthetic techniques were used. In one group spontaneous respiration with nitrous oxide, oxygen and halothane was used and in the other controlled ventilation with nitrous oxide and oxygen was maintained. Larger falls in blood pressure, on sitting up, were seen...

One hundred ASA I orthopaedic surgical patients (four randomized groups) were anaesthetized using continuous propofol and intermittent fentanyl (TIVA), with controlled ventilation via a tracheal tube in groups 1 and 2, and a laryngeal mask airway (LMA) in groups 3 and 4. Neuromuscular blockers were used in groups 1 and 3 only. There were no significant differences between groups in total anaest...

We describe an enclosed afferent reservoir (EAR) breathing system developed by Ohmeda and designed to operate efficiently in spontaneous and controlled ventilation. The efficiency of the system was evaluated by calculating the fractional utilization of fresh gas in 10 ASA I-III patients during anaesthesia with controlled ventilation. Maximum efficiency occurred when the minute ventilation to fr...

Mechanical ventilation is an essential component of the care of patients with ARDS, and a large number of randomized controlled clinical trials have now been conducted evaluating the efficacy and safety of various methods of mechanical ventilation for the treatment of ARDS. Low tidal volume ventilation (</= 6 mL/kg predicted body weight) should be utilized in all patients with ARDS as it is the...