Eur Respir J 2001; 17:259-267
Copyright ©ERS Journals Ltd 2001
Leak compensation in positive pressure ventilators: a lung model study
S. Mehtaa,
F.D. McCoolb and
N.S. Hillc
a Mt. Sinai Hospital, University of Toronto, Toronto,
Canada, b Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island and c Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University School of Medicine,
Providence, RI, USA
CORRESPONDENCE: N.S. Hill, Division of Pulmonary, Sleep, and Critical Care Medicine,
Rhode Island Hospital, 593 Eddy Street, Providence, RI 02903, USA. Fax: 1
4014446665
Keywords: mask ventilation, mechanical ventilators, noninvasive
ventilation, portable ventilators
Received: September 30, 1999
Accepted August 21, 2000
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Abstract
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Leak compensating abilities of six different positive pressure ventilators
commonly used to deliver noninvasive positive pressure ventilation, including
the bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP) S/T-D and
Quantum (Respironics Inc, Murrysville, PA, USA), 335 and O'NYX (Mallinckrodt
Inc, St Louis, MO, USA), PLV 102 (Respironics), and Siemens
Servo 900C (Siemens Inc, Danvers, MA, USA).
Using a test lung model, compensatory capabilities of the ventilators were
tested for smaller and larger leaks using the assist/control or timed
modes. Back-up rate was 20·min1, inspiratory
pressure was 18 cmH2O, and expiratory pressure was 5 cmH2O.
It was found that even in the absence of air leaking, delivered tidal volume
differed substantially between the ventilators during use of pressure-targeted
modes, depending on inspiratory flows, inaccuracies in set versus
delivered pressures, and inspiratory duration. Also during pressure-targeted
ventilation, increasing the tI/ttot up to, but not beyond, 0.5 improved compensation by lengthening inspiratory
duration, whereas use of a sensitive flow trigger setting tended to cause
autocycling during leaking, interfering with compensation. Leaking interfered
with cycling of the BiPAP S/T, inverting the I:E ratio, shortening
expiratory time, and reducing delivered tidal volume. Volume-targeted
modes achieved limited compensation for small air leaks, but compensated poorly
for large leaks.
To conclude, leak-compensating capabilities differ markedly between
ventilators but pressure-targeted ventilators are preferred for noninvasive
positive pressure ventilation in patients with substantial air leaking. Adequate
inspiratory flows and durations should be used, triggering sensitivity should
be adjusted to prevent autocycling, and a mechanism should be available to
limit inspiratory time and avoid I:E ratio inversion.
Noninvasive positive pressure ventilation (NPPV) is widely used
to assist breathing in both acute and chronic forms of respiratory failure 1, 2.
In contrast to invasive ventilation, NPPV uses an open circuit design that
is inherently leaky. Although ventilation can often be assisted even in the
presence of sizeable leaks 3,
different ventilators and ventilator modes may be more or less capable of
compensating for air leaks. This compensatory capability may be important
in optimizing the success of NPPV, but few studies have examined the effectiveness
of different ventilators in delivering ventilation in the face of air leaks.
Air leaks during NPPV consist of either mask leaks between the skin and
mask, mouth leaks with nasal ventilation, or nose leaks with mouthpiece ventilation.
Some air may also escape via the oesophagus, but because of the relatively
high impedance posed by the lower oesophageal sphincter 4, this route is likely to be minor in comparison to
the others. Studies on patients using nocturnal volume- or pressure-limited
ventilation have found that air leaks occur during most of sleep 3, 5.
These studies show that ventilation and oxygenation are adequately supported
in most patients despite the presence of leaks, but that large leaks may interfere
with ventilator cycling, compromise minute ventilation, and cause sleep fragmentation
due to leak-associated arousals 3, 5.
Simple bedside interventions may alleviate air leaking. Mask leaks can
be reduced by ensuring proper mask fit and by using optimal headstrap tension.
The temptation to merely tighten the straps to reduce air leaking must be
resisted, because this may reduce patient comfort and tolerance of NPPV, and
promote the development of nasal bridge ulcers 6. Air leaking through the mouth that occurs during nasal ventilation
can be reduced by encouraging patients to keep their mouths closed, using
chin straps, or switching to a mouthpiece or an oronasal mask 6. However, air leaks often persist despite these interventions.
For these reasons, ventilators that are designed to compensate for air
leaks are desirable for noninvasive ventilation. Using a lung model testing
system, the leak compensating abilities of six positive pressure ventilators
commonly used to administer NPPV, including pressure-targeted and volume-targeted
devices were evaluated and compared. It was hypothesized that ventilator characteristics
such as mode of ventilation, peak inspiratory flow capabilities, triggering
sensitivities, and criteria for termination of inspiration as well as lung
characteristics such as resistance and compliance, would determine the effectiveness
of leak compensation.
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Methods
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Description of the ventilators
The leak compensation characteristics of commercially available positive-pressure
ventilators, five portable and one "critical care", selected to
represent the range of ventilators commonly used to deliver NPPV were evaluated.
These included three pressure-limited "bilevel positive airway pressure" (BiPAP)
type ventilators, the BiPAP S/T-D and Quantum Pressure Support
Ventilator (Respironics, Murrysville, PA, USA), and the Nellcor
Puritan Bennett 335 (Mallinckrodt, St. Louis, MO, USA). These are
blower-based flow generators capable of delivering continuous positive
airway pressure (CPAP) or cycling between inspiratory and expiratory
positive airway pressure (IPAP and EPAP, respectively). Other ventilators
selected because they are often used for NPPV included the PLV 102 (Respironics),
a piston-driven portable volume-targeted ventilator, the blower-driven
O'NYX (Mallinckrodt), a ventilator commonly used in Europe
but not yet available in North America, and the Siemens Servo 900C (Siemens
Inc, Danvers, MA, USA), a critical care ventilator used widely throughout
the world. The latter two ventilators deliver either pressure- or volume-targeted
breaths.
All ventilators were tested in controlled modes using a back-up rate.
The BiPAP ventilator was evaluated in both the spontaneous/timed (S/T)
and timed (T) modes, and the Quantum, 335, and PLV 102 were evaluated
in the assist/control mode. For the O'NYX and Siemens ventilators,
both pressure-targeted (assist controlled pressure ventilation (ACPV)
and pressure control ventilation (PCV), respectively) and volume-targeted (assist
control ventilation, ACV) modes were evaluated. Important differences
between the ventilators are listed in table 1 . These include differences in inspiratory termination (cycling)
criteria between the ventilators. The Quantum 335 and Siemens (for both
modes) use a timer set by the I:E ratio when inspirations are triggered
by the timed back-up rate, whereas BiPAP in the S/T mode cycles
in response to a decrease in inspiratory flow 7. For this reason, the timed (T) mode on the BiPAP
that cycles into expiration based on a preset timer was also tested. Ventilator
tubing used was that recommended by the manufacturer. The Whisper SwivelTM, a fixed exhalation valve, was used with the BiPAP ventilators. For
the O'NYX, Siemens and PLV 102, separate inspiratory and expiratory
circuits and exhalation valves were used as supplied by the manufacturer.
Leak testing system
Each ventilator was tested using a double compartment lung model (Dual
Adult Training Test Lung Model 1600, Michigan Instruments, Grand Rapids, MI,
USA) connected to a 7 mm internal diameter (ID) endotracheal
tube. The lung model was placed inside a body plethysmograph that measured
volume displacement of the lung model by means of an externally connected
wedge spirometer (fig. 1 ).
Lung model compliances of 0.1, 0.06, and 0.03 L·cm1 were used. Resistance could be altered by the insertion of one of two
nonlinear resistors with a fixed orifice (Rp 5 or Rp 20;
Michigan Instruments) between the endotracheal tube and the ventilator
circuit. At a flow rate of 60 L·min1, the
resistance of the Rp 5 and Rp 20 was 2.7 cmH2O·L·s1 and 17.6 cmH2O·L·s1, respectively.

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Fig. 1. Schematic of test lung set-up. The circuit of the ventilator
device being evaluated was connected to a double compartment Michigan test
lung placed inside a body plethysmograph, that measured volume displacement
of the lung model by means of an externally connected wedge spirometer. Airway
resistance was altered by inserting a parabolic resistor proximal to the endotracheal
tube. The sidearm extending from the ventilator circuit was partially occluded
with different sized resistors to simulate small or large leaks. Ventilator
and leak flows were measured using flowmeters as shown in the diagram. Airway
pressure was measured proximal to the leak.
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Ventilators were tested in the absence of leak and in the presence of a
smaller or larger leak. A sidearm extended from the ventilator circuit permitted
control of the amount of leak (fig. 1 ).
Controlled leaks were created by inserting resistors into the sidearm. The
resistors (1.0 and 0.2 cmH2O·L·s1, respectively, at flow rates of 60 L·s1) were selected to allow leakage of 1/4 (small leak)
and 1/2 (large leak) of the delivered tidal volume (VT) when the BiPAP in the T mode was set at IPAP/EPAP
settings that delivered a VT of 1 L in the absence
of leak. The leak flow varied widely depending on the ventilator settings,
but ranged from 1530 L·min1 for the
small leak and 30120 L·min1 for the
large leak. These were selected to span above and below the range previously
reported in sleeping patients using the BiPAP S/T (2438 L·min1) 3. As the
amount of leak was varied, airway pressure, inspiratory and leak flows and VT were measured using inline manometers and pneumotachographs (Fleisch
No. 2) and recorded using a Gould 3800 strip chart recorder (Gould,
Cleveland, OH, USA).
Experimental settings
For baseline comparisons, respiratory frequency was set at 20 breaths·min1 in all of the experiments to reflect commonly recommended breathing
rates for noninvasive ventilation 8, 9. IPAP/EPAP settings were 18 and 5 cmH2O respectively for the BiPAP (in both T and S/T modes),
335, and Quantum ventilators. Inspiratory and expiratory sensitivity settings
on the 335 were 2 and 3, respectively, with 1 being the most and 5 the least
sensitive settings 7. In order
to match the IPAP/EPAP settings, the O'NYX in the ACPV mode was
at a pressure support of 13 cmH2O and a PEEP of 5 cmH2O and the inspiratory trigger was set at 1.5 cmH2O (0
being the most and 3 the least sensitive settings). Inspiratory time/total
breath time (tI/ttot)
was set at 0.33, and test lung compliance at 0.1 L·cmH2O.
To test the effect of differences in inspiratory duration on delivered VT, tI/ttot was
varied (0.25, 0.33 or 0.50) for the BiPAP and PLV. The BiPAP T was
additionally tested at a tI/ttot
of 0.66 to determine the effect of inverted I : E
ratios on delivered VT. The influence of inspiratory trigger
sensitivity was tested by using the O'NYX at inspiratory sensitivities
of 0.5, 1.5 and 3.0 cmH2O. The effect of changes in respiratory
system compliance and resistance on tidal volumes delivered in the presence
of leak were evaluated using the 335 at test lung compliances of 0.1, 0.06
and 0.03 L·cmH2O. With test lung compliance set at
0.1 L·cmH2O, each of 3 resistance conditions (no
resistor, Rp 5 or Rp 20) was also tested. The effect of
varying leak on VT delivered by volume-targeted ventilation
was assessed using the PLV 102, O'NYX and Siemens at four different tidal
volume settings, with test lung compliance set at 0.1 L·cmH2O and tI/ttot at 0.33.
Statistical analysis
Six breaths were analysed and averaged for each experimental setting. All
values are reported as mean±sd. Repeated measures analysis
of variance was used to compare mean values for each ventilator at different
settings, and two way analysis of variance was used to compare mean values
between different ventilators. When significant differences were detected, post hoc analysis was performed using Tukey's exact test. Very little
variability occurred between breaths, so sd bars are not shown
in the figures to improve clarity of presentation.
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Results
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Leak compensation in pressure-targeted ventilators
During pressure-targeted ventilation, delivered VT
differed substantially between ventilators despite equal inspiratory and expiratory
pressure settings (18 and 5 cmH20, respectively),
even in the absence of leak (fig. 2a ).
These differences were related to variances in inspiratory flow rates, actual
pressures delivered, and inspiratory duration (as determined by tI/ttot) (table 2 ). For example, the 400-mL greater VT delivered by the BiPAP in the S/T mode as compared
to the T mode was related to a greater tI/ttot in the S/T mode, allowing more time for lung inflation. In contrast,
the three ventilators using volume-targeted modes consistently delivered
the selected volume of 1 L, as would be anticipated.

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Fig. 2. Tidal volume (VT) delivered by the
ventilators in a) the absence of leak and b) during leak, the latter
expressed as a percentage of the VT delivered in the absence
of leak. For the pressure-limited modes inspiratory positive airway pressure/expiratory
positive airway pressure (IPAP/EPAP) settings were 18 and 5 cmH2O, respectively, and for the volume-limited modes, VT was set at 1 L. For all conditions, inspiratory time/total
time tI/ttot was 0.33, and test
lung compliance was 0.1 L·cm1 H2O.
The O'NYX was evaluated in the assist controlled pressure ventilation (ACPV)
and assist controlled ventilation (ACV) modes with the inspiratory
trigger set at 1.5 cmH2O. Inspiratory and expiratory sensitivity
settings on the 335 were 2 and 3 respectively. The Siemens was tested in the
pressure control ventilation (PCV) and ACV modes with inspiratory
trigger sensitivity set at 1 cmH2O. *: p<0.01 compared
to values for 335; #: p<0.01 compared to small leak. : large leak;
: small leak.
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With all of the ventilators, when a leak was introduced into the system,
airway pressure decreased (table 2 )
and delivered VT was significantly reduced (fig. 2b ). When expressed as % of VT delivered in the absence of leak, VT
during a small leak was best maintained by the pressure-targeted modes,
particularly the O'NYX and Siemens ventilators. The BiPAP in the S/T
mode compensated less effectively because of excessive prolongation of the
inspiratory duration and, as a group, the volume-targeted modes compensated
far less effectively than the pressure-targeted modes (fig. 2b ). In the presence of a large leak,
the Quantum best maintained delivered VT, which was approximately
65% of the baseline. Once again, the pressure-targeted modes compensated
much better than the volume-targeted modes, with the exception of the
Siemens PCV (fig. 2b ),
which failed to sustain high inspiratory flow rates throughout the inspiratory
duration (fig. 3 ).

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Fig. 3. Illustration of the effect on delivered tidal volume (VT) of failure to sustain high inspiratory flow rate
by the Siemens 900C ventilator in the face of a large leak. Figures a, c,
e, g, i, k show sustained inspiratory flow rate and adequate tidal volume
delivery with a small leak in volume control (assist control ventilation;
ACV) mode (a, e, i) and pressure control (pressure control
ventilation; PCV) mode (c, g, k) with VT
setting 1.5 L and inspiratory:expiratory 1:2. With a large leak in
either the ACV (b, f, j) or PCV (d, h, l) modes, inspiratory
flow rate drops during the middle of inspiration (indicated by arrow),
and delivered VT is negligible.
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Surprisingly, leak-compensation between the volume-targeted modes
differed considerably, with the O'NYX in the ACV mode performing best
by virtue of its ability to increase inspiratory flow rate (table 2 ). As would be expected with most volume-targeted
ventilators, inspiratory flow rates did not change with the PLV, accounting
for its poor leak compensating abilities. With the Siemens in the ACV mode,
inspiratory flow rate increased slightly in the face of a large leak, but
then decreased abruptly, similar to the response with the PCV mode, resulting
in no measurable delivered VT (table 2 , fig. 3 ).
Effect of set inspiratory time/total breath time on delivered tidal volume
Among the "bilevel" devices that permit setting of tI/ttot, delivered VT increased
as tI/ttot was raised from 0.25,
to 0.33 and 0.5, both with small and large leaks (fig. 3 ). At each setting, the Quantum preserved
leak VT better than the 335 or BiPAP T, related to a longer
inspiratory duration (table 2 ).
During air leaking, the BiPAP in the S/T mode delivered a lower VT (fig. 4 ).
This was related to the fact that in the S/T mode, the % IPAP control
on the BiPAP is inoperative and does not permit adjustments of tI/ttot. Inspiration is terminated by a decrease
in inspiratory flow up to a maximum duration of 3 s; therefore, tI/ttot increases during leak because
inspiratory flow fails to drop sufficiently to cycle the ventilator. tI/ttot averaged 0.47 in the absence
of leak, and increased to 0.8 with a small or large leak. To illustrate this
effect of excessive prolongation of tI/ttot, delivered VT using the BiPAP in the T mode
fell from 1.23 L to 0.83 L when tI/ttot was lengthened from 0.5 to 0.66, while other settings
remained unchanged.
Effect of varying inspiratory trigger sensitivity
The O'NYX, Siemens and 335 have adjustable inspiratory triggers, and
experiments were performed to test the effect of inspiratory trigger sensitivity
on leak compensation. Trigger sensitivity had no effect on delivered VT with the 335 (data not shown). However, the Siemens
and O'NYX both increased delivered rates over the set back-up
rates at higher inspiratory trigger sensitivity settings (autocycling) (figs. 5
and 6 ).
With the Siemens, rate increased to 30·min1 and delivered VT fell when inspiratory sensitivity was set below 0.6 cmH2O for a small leak, and 0.8 cmH2O for a large leak.
With the O'NYX in the ACPV mode, autocycling did not occur in the presence
of a small leak. However, with a large leak and more sensitive trigger sensitivity
settings (0.5 and 1.5 cmH2O), VT dropped dramatically while respiratory rates climbed to 36·min1, and the ventilator failed to maintain PEEP in the inspiratory
tubing (fig. 6 ).
Autocycling did not occur when the sensitivity was set at 3 cmH2O, even with a large leak, and leak compensation was much improved.

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Fig. 5. Effect of inspiratory trigger settings on delivered tidal volume (VT) in the absence and presence of leak in the assist
controlled pressure ventilation (ACPV) mode on the O'NYX ventilator.
Inspiratory/expiratory positive airway pressure (IPAP/EPAP)
settings were 18 and 5 cmH2O, respectively, inspiratory
time/total breath time (tI/ttot) was 0.33, and test lung compliance was 0.1 L·cmH2O. At the more sensitive inspiratory trigger settings with a large
leak, autocycling occurred and leak compensation was negligible. *: p<0.05
compared with value at 0.5 setting; #: p<0.05 compared with small leak.
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Fig. 6. Recording of tidal volume (VT) and
airway pressure (Paw) changes during autocycling
with the O'NYX in the assist controlled pressure ventilation (ACPV)
mode in the presence of a small leak (b, e) or large leak (c,
f), compared with no leak (a, d). During a small leak, autocycling
is intermittent, with a moderate reduction in average delivered VT. With a large leak, autocycling is continuous, rate approaches 36·min1, positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is not
sustained, and delivered VT is markedly reduced. Inspiratory/expiratory
positive airway pressure (IPAP/EPAP) settings were 18 and 5 cmH2O, respectively, inspiratory time/total breath time (tI/ttot) was 0.33, and test lung
compliance was 0.1 L·cmH2O. The sensitivity setting
was 0.5 cmH2O.
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Leak compensation with volume-targeted modes
As anticipated, delivered VT with the volume-targeted
modes was much lower during leaks than with pressure-targeted ventilators,
because of their inability (PLV) or limited ability (O'NYX
and Siemens) to compensate by sustaining or increasing inspiratory flow
rates (fig. 2 , table 2 ). Some increase in inspiratory flow
rate occurred with some of the volume-targeted modes, particularly with
the O'NYX ACV mode, accounting for its greater leak compensating abilities
compared to the PLV (fig. 2 ).
In contrast to the pressure-targeted ventilators, as set tI/ttot on the PLV 102 was increased from 0.25
to 0.33 to 0.5, delivered VT fell slightly related to
proportionate decreases in inspiratory flow rate, regardless of the presence
of leak in the system (fig. 7 ).
In addition, introducing a leak into the system reduced delivered VT at all tI/ttot settings
more than with the pressure-targeted ventilators (fig. 2b ), particularly with the PLV 102. On
the other hand, for small leaks, increasing set VT from
500 mL to 2 L increased delivered VT substantially
during use of the O'NYX and Siemens and slightly during use of the PLV (fig. 8 ). However, none of the volume-targeted
modes was able to compensate for large leaks, even at the higher set VTs (fig. 8 ).
Effect of changes in respiratory system impedance on leak compensation
As would be anticipated during pressure-limited ventilation, increases
in respiratory system impedance resulting from either reduced lung compliance
or increased airway resistance reduced delivered VT, as
exemplified by the 335 (fig. 9 ).
In response to air leaking, delivered VT were further
reduced, proportionate to the decreases in VT observed
in the absence of leak (fig. 9 ).
Responses of the other pressure-limited ventilators was similar, and tI/ttot of the BiPAP S/T was not
altered by changes in resistance or compliance. In contrast, the volume-limited
PLV 102 maintained VT delivery despite changes in test
lung compliance, as would be anticipated (data not shown).
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Discussion
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The presented study demonstrates that the ability to compensate for air
leaks varies substantially between ventilators depending on ventilator mode,
leak size, inspiratory airflow capabilities, and inspiratory duration as determined
by set tI/ttot or ventilator cycling
mechanisms. Although prior investigations have compared the performance characteristics
of pressure-targeted portable ventilators 10, 11, few prior
published studies have attempted to evaluate the impact of leaks on the efficacy
of NPPV. In a recent laboratory study comparing the performance of four positive
pressure ventilators, two pressure-targeted ventilators maintained delivered VT during leak, whereas the VT delivered
by two volume-targeted ventilators fell by >50% 12. However, since evaluating the effect of leak was
not the primary purpose of the study, the amount of leak was not quantified
or varied, and information about peak inspiratory flows during leak was not
provided.
Even in the absence of leaks at comparable settings, the five pressure-targeted
ventilators in the present study delivered quite different VTs. The factors accounting for these differences included inaccuracies
in delivered versus set inspiratory and expiratory pressures and
a longer inspiratory duration when the BiPAP was set in the S/T mode,
allowing more time for lung inflation. Because of this property, the BiPAP
in the S/T mode also exhibited the greatest proportional reduction in
delivered VT during leaks. This occurred because the sustained
high inspiratory flow during leaks prevented termination criteria for inspiration
from being reached for up to 3 s, the default setting. At the set respiratory
frequency of 20 breaths·min1, this led to
an inversion of the I:E ratio to as high as 4:1. VT fell
because of incomplete emptying of the lung due to shortening of the expiratory
time.
In the presence of leaks, pressure-targeted modes manifested even larger
differences in delivered VT than without leaks. This was
related to the ability to increase inspiratory flow and sustain the target
inspiratory pressure as well as the duration (inspiratory time).
The ventilators that best compensated for leaks (especially large leaks
such as the Quantum) were able to increase inspiratory flow rate up to
three-fold and lengthened inspiratory duration slightly (table 2 ). Excessive prolongation of inspiratory
time was counterproductive, however, as discussed above. In addition, by demonstrating
the reduction in inspiratory flow that occurs with the Siemens ventilator
in the face of large leaks (fig. 3 ),
the results illustrate the importance of not only attaining a high inspiratory
flow rate during leaks, but also sustaining it for the duration of the inspiratory
phase.
In contrast to the pressure-targeted modes, ventilators delivering
volume-targeted modes compensated less well for leaks because inspiratory
flow and duration are either fixed (PLV 102) or increase slightly (O'NYX
and Siemens). Accordingly, significant drops in delivered VT (at least 50%) during small leaks and more than 80%
during large leaks were observed. In addition, prolonging tI/ttot from 0.25 to 0.5 did not increase delivered VT as it did with pressure-targeted modes. In fact, delivered VT fell slightly, presumably because of the greater inspiratory
duration and resulting longer leak time. In the presence of a small leak,
compensation was achieved by increasing set VT to 2 L
as delivered VT was raised to 500, 900 and 1200 mL
for the PLV 102, Siemens and O'NYX ventilators, respectively. Nevertheless,
this strategy for leak compensation is less effective than using pressure-targeted
ventilators. Thus, volume-targeted ventilators would not be the first
choice for NPPV in patients with substantial air leaking.
Some of the pressure-targeted ventilators permit setting of the I:E
ratio (the BiPAP T mode, 335, and Quantum). Prolonging the inspiratory
duration by increasing the set tI/ttot from 0.25 to 0.33 or 0.5 improved leak compensation. However, this
compensatory effect depends on the rate of lung filling and emptying and the
absolute inspiratory duration. For instance, increasing the tI/ttot beyond 0.25 at a rate of 10 would probably
have less effect than at a rate of 20 because the inspiratory duration at
the lower rate would allow complete lung filling 13. On the other hand, prolonging the inspiratory time to the
point of inverting the I:E ratio is counter-productive at a rate of 20,
as exemplified by the drop in delivered VT when the tI/ttot was increased from 0.5 to
0.66 on the BiPAP in the T mode. Other potential clinical consequences of
inversion of the I:E ratio include the need for patients to activate their
expiratory muscles of respiration in order to cycle into EPAP, air trapping
due to inadequate expiratory time, and patient-ventilator asynchrony
that contributes to patient discomfort and NPPV intolerance. Thus, the capability
of limiting tI/ttot to no more
than 50% of the respiratory cycle time can help to prevent excessive
shortening of expiratory time. In patients with severe COPD, a shorter tI/ttot may be desirable to enhance
patient-ventilator synchrony. Previous studies have shown that relatively
high inspiratory flow rates (and hence short inspiratory times)
reduce work of breathing during pressure support breathing in these patients 14.
The present results also illustrate the potential adverse consequences
of sensitive flow triggers during leaking. At the more sensitive inspiratory
trigger settings on the O'NYX and Siemens ventilators, air leaking caused
autocycling and marked reductions in delivered VT due
to the shortening of inspiratory and expiratory times. Flow-triggered
ventilators are susceptible to autocycling in the presence of a leak because
the leak flow may be interpreted by the ventilator as the onset of inspiration.
In a study evaluating three paediatric flow-triggered intensive care ventilators 15, the relative rate of autocycling by
the three ventilators was determined by the sensitivity setting, and all of
the ventilators autocycled less frequently at decreased sensitivity settings.
The presented findings are consistent with these, with rapid respiratory rates
occurring during both small and large leaks. These results indicate that monitoring
should be performed during use of ventilators with adjustable inspiratory
triggers, and trigger sensitivity should be set to avoid autocycling. It should
also be noted that certain ventilators are resistant to autocycling by design.
For instance, the BiPAP S/T that did not autocycle in our study, has a
higher threshold for inspiratory triggering early compared to later during
expiration 16.
As anticipated, increases in respiratory impedance caused by increases
in test lung elastance or resistance resulted in reductions in VT delivered by the pressure-limited modes, but had little effect
on VT delivered by the volume-targeted PLV 102. Thus,
in the setting of increased airway resistance or respiratory system elastance,
there are several choices available to the clinician. If leaks are minimal,
volume-targeted ventilation can be used to assure delivered VT despite the increased impedance. However, because leaks are so common
during NPPV, pressure-targeted ventilators may be preferred to compensate
for the leaks as long as ventilator pressures or inspiratory times are adjusted
to optimize delivered VT. However, the effectiveness of
these latter compensatory actions is limited by the patient's tolerance
of increased pressures during NPPV, and the increased pressures could exacerbate
the leak 17.
A number of limitations should be borne in mind when interpreting the present
results. First, a test lung was used in order to compare the ventilators under
identical mechanical conditions, but the observations have not been validated
in patients. Second, responses were not tested at a range of back-up rates
and pressures and only two leak sizes were used. These choices were made in
order to simplify data presentation, and to represent the range of settings
commonly encountered clinically 10.
The two leaks were selected to range below and above those measured in a previous
clinical study 3, and ideal settings
were used for NPPV based on recommendations in the literature 8, 9.
Third, the effects of leak on ventilator triggering or cycling during spontaneous
breathing were not tested, so the observations are most relevant to situations
where controlled breathing predominates, such as in neuromuscular patients
during sleep 3. Fourth, with
advances in technology, newer versions of some of the ventilators tested might
perform differently. Finally, one representative ventilator of each type was
tested and that individual ventilators may differ was allowed for. The study
was designed mainly to illustrate certain response patterns of ventilator
modes in the presence of air leaking, and should not be construed as an efficacy
comparison between specific ventilators in compensating for leaks. The present
results should alert practitioners to the need for calibration and close monitoring
of ventilators used for NPPV, and for careful selection of ventilator settings.
In conclusion, pressure-targeted modes maintain delivered VT in the presence of leaks better than volume-targeted modes. Hence,
pressure-targeted ventilators are preferred over volume-targeted ventilators
to provide more effective NPPV in patients with substantial air leaking. To
best compensate for air leaks, pressure-targeted ventilators should have
high and sustained maximal inspiratory flow capabilities (>3 L·s1), adjustable I:E ratios or other mechanisms to limit inspiratory
duration so that inversion of the I:E ratio is avoided, and adjustable trigger
sensitivities or algorithms to prevent autocycling.
 |
Acknowledgements
|
|---|
The authors thank Respironics and Mallinckrodt Nellcor Puritan Bennett
for providing the ventilators. The authors would also like to thank MNPB instruments
for providing the test lung.
 |
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