experiment using increased dead space and measuring different lung volumes in normal patients

However, such a ventilatory strategy impairs ventilation and induces hypercapnia due to increases in dead space. It has been shown to reduce the incidence of postoperative pulmonary complications after thoracic surgeries.

To date, lung protective ventilation is based on the use of low tidal volumes and airway pressures to decrease overdistension. This type of injury threatens the fragile lungs especially during one-lung ventilation and can clinically be recognized as an increase in airway and alveolar dead space above normal values. Another interesting use of such monitoring is to detect ventilator-induced lung injury due to tidal overdistension.

Monitoring dead space during thoracic surgery assesses the ventilatory deficiencies related to increases in instrumental, airway and/or alveolar dead space, when ventilating patients with positive pressure and double-lumen tubes.

The concept of dead space has gained renewed interest among anesthesiologists ever since breath-by-breath measurement by volumetric capnography became available. Describe the importance of monitoring dead space during thoracic surgery, specifically during one-lung ventilation.

Experiment using increased dead space and measuring different lung volumes in normal patients