HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Permissions Request Permissions Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Web of Science (22) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Schibler, A. Articles by Frey, U. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Schibler, A. Articles by Frey, U.

Measurement of lung volume and ventilation distribution with an ultrasonic flow meter in healthy infants

Swiss Paediatric Respiratory Physiology Research Group: ¹ Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, ² Division of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine and Dept of Paediatrics, University of Bern, and ³ Dept of Respiratory Medicine, University Children's Hospital, Zürich, Switzerland

CORRESPONDENCE: A. Schibler, Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, Dept of Paediatrics, Children's Hospital University of Bern, 3010, Bern, Switzerland. Fax: 41 316329468. E-mail: andreas.schibler@insel.ch

Keywords: functional residual capacity, infant lung function, lung model, ultrasonic flow meter, ventilation distribution

Received: March 15, 2001
Accepted March 22, 2002

This study was supported by the Swiss National Foundation (SCORE 32-51974.97), Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, Swiss CF Foundation, AstraZeneca (Switzerland)

Small airway disease in infants is characterised by abnormal lung volume and uneven ventilation distribution. An inert tracer gas washin/washout technique using a pulsed ultrasonic flow meter is presented to measure functional residual capacity (FRC) and ventilation distribution in spontaneously breathing and unsedated infants.

With a pulsed ultrasound sent through the main stream of the flow meter, flow, volume and MM of the breathing gas can be calculated. Sulphur hexafluoride was used as a tracer gas. In a mechanical lung model (volume range 53–188 mL) and in 12 healthy infants (aged 38.3±9.2 days; mean±sd) accuracy and reproducibility of the technique was assessed. Indices of ventilation distribution such as alveolar-based mean dilution number (AMDN) and pulmonary clearance delay (PCD) were calculated.

Mean error of volume measurement in the lung model was 0.58% (coefficient of variance (CV) 1.3%). FRC was in the low predicted range for normal infants (18.0±2.0 mL·kg^–1) and highly reproducible (5.5±1.7% intra-subject CV). AMDN was 1.63±0.15 and PCD was 52.9±11.1%.

Measurement of functional residual capacity and ventilation distribution using a sulphur hexafluoride washin/washout and an ultrasonic flow meter proved to be highly accurate and reproducible in a lung model and in healthy, spontaneously breathing and unsedated infants.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. S. von Ungern-Sternberg, T. O. Erb, W. Habre, P. D. Sly, and Z. Hantos The Impact of Oral Premedication with Midazolam on Respiratory Function in Children Anesth. Analg., June 1, 2009; 108(6): 1771 - 1776. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				G Hulskamp, S Lum, J Stocks, A Wade, A F Hoo, K Costeloe, J Hawdon, K Deeptha, and J J Pillow Association of prematurity, lung disease and body size with lung volume and ventilation inhomogeneity in unsedated neonates: a multicentre study Thorax, March 1, 2009; 64(3): 240 - 245. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				P. Latzin, C. Thamrin, and R. Kraemer Ventilation inhomogeneities assessed by the multibreath washout (MBW) technique Thorax, February 1, 2008; 63(2): 98 - 99. [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. S. von Ungern-Sternberg, F. Petak, S. Saudan, M. Pellegrini, T. O. Erb, W. Habre, and Swiss Paediatric Respiratory Research Group Effect of cardiopulmonary bypass and aortic clamping on functional residual capacity and ventilation distribution in children. J. Thorac. Cardiovasc. Surg., November 1, 2007; 134(5): 1193 - 1198. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. S. von Ungern-Sternberg, A. Regli, A. Schibler, J. Hammer, F. J. Frei, and T. O. Erb The Impact of Positive End-Expiratory Pressure on Functional Residual Capacity and Ventilation Homogeneity Impairment in Anesthetized Children Exposed to High Levels of Inspired Oxygen Anesth. Analg., June 1, 2007; 104(6): 1364 - 1368. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				B. S. von Ungern-Sternberg, F. J. Frei, J. Hammer, A. Schibler, R. Doerig, and T. O. Erb Impact of depth of propofol anaesthesia on functional residual capacity and ventilation distribution in healthy preschool children Br. J. Anaesth., April 1, 2007; 98(4): 503 - 508. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J.J. Pillow, H. Ljungberg, G. Hulskamp, and J. Stocks Functional residual capacity measurements in healthy infants: ultrasonic flow meter versus a mass spectrometer Eur. Respir. J., May 1, 2004; 23(5): 763 - 768. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]