Background: Previous studies have shown that progesterone increases the ventilatory performance in healthy individuals and in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disorders. The study was designed to investigate the effect of a single intramuscular administration of progesterone on ventilatory performance in adult trauma patients during partial support mechanical ventilation. Methods: Fo...

Study objective: The percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy can be performed with a low compli¬ cation rate if several important technical details are followed. This study delineates our experience and recommends changes in the operative technique. Design and setting: Patients requiring tracheostomy were selected for percutaneous dilatational tracheostomy based on previously reported criteria. ...

We examined the effects of carotid body denervation on ventilatory responses to normoxia (21% O2 in N2 for 240 s), hypoxic hypoxia (10 and 15% O2 in N2 for 90 and 120 s, respectively), and hyperoxic hypercapnia (5% CO2 in O2 for 240 s) in the spontaneously breathing urethane-anesthetized mouse. Respiratory measurements were made with a whole body, single-chamber plethysmograph before and after ...

The purpose of this study was to determine how breathing protocols requiring varying degrees of control affect cardiovascular dynamics. We measured inspiratory volume, end-tidal CO2, R-R interval, and arterial pressure spectral power in 10 volunteers who followed the following 5 breathing protocols: 1) uncontrolled breathing for 5 min; 2) stepwise frequency breathing (at 0.3, 0.25, 0.2, 0.15, 0...

C arbon dioxide (CO2) embolism is a rare but severe complication of laparoscopic surgery. It has been reported during laparoscopic cholecystectomy and hepatic resections. In open hepatic surgery, patients with intrapulmonary or intracardiac arteriovenous communications (i.e., patent foramen ovale [PFO]) are at risk for paradoxical air embolism, as air can pass into the systemic circulation. We ...

The effects of sevoflurane or isoflurane on arterial blood gas, arterial oxyhaemoglobin saturation and end-tidal CO2 tension were monitored during induction and maintenance of anaesthesia in 10 premedicated New Zealand White (NZW) rabbits.For induction, the anaesthetic agents were delivered via a face-mask. After induction was completed, an endotracheal tube was introduced for maintenance of an...

so the CO2 tension can be measured in a gas rather than in a liquid (Campbell and Howell, 1960a). The problem is to achieve this equilibrium before the prevention of its excretion causes the pressure of the CO2 in the blood to rise excessively. A rapid equilibrium will be achieved if a gas mixture is rebreathed which contains enough CO2 to enrich the alveolar gas to approximately the same tensi...

BACKGROUND Conducted electrical weapons (CEWs) are used by law enforcement to subdue combative subjects. Occasionally, subjects will die after a CEW has been used on them. It is theorized that CEWs may contribute to these deaths by impairing respiration. OBJECTIVES To examine the respiratory effects of CEWs. METHODS Human volunteers received a 15-second application of electrical current fro...