RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 Role of sampling flow in the sidestream capnographic shape factors JF European Respiratory Journal JO Eur Respir J FD European Respiratory Society SP PA4414 DO 10.1183/13993003.congress-2016.PA4414 VO 48 IS suppl 60 A1 Adam L. Balogh A1 Gergely H. Fodor A1 Ferenc Petak A1 Zsofia Tari A1 Edit Vigh A1 Roberta Sudy A1 Barna Babik YR 2016 UL http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/48/suppl_60/PA4414.abstract AB Capnography, the non-invasive monitoring of the CO2 partial pressure in the exhaled gas provides information on lung ventilation and perfusion. The reference mainstream (MS) method measures CO2 directly at the airway opening. Sidestream (SS) devices analyse a gas sample aspirated through a tube, distorting the capnogram in an unclarified manner and degree. We investigated the influence of sampling rate on the shape factors of the SS capnogram.Measurements were made simultaneously with MS and SS capnographs, the latter being equipped with adjustable sampling flow in 6 anaesthetised, ventilated patients. Phase 2 and 3 slopes (S2 and S3) were derived from time capnograms. S2 describes the transition between the emptying of bronchial and alveolar gas, S3 reflects the heterogeneity of alveolar ventilation. To assess the effects of sampling flow on capnogram shape, we analysed correlations between the sampling flow and the difference of SS and MS parameters (S2diff, S3diff).By increasing sampling flow from 100 to 400 ml/min in 3 steps, S2diff exhibited monotonous, linear decrease (R2=0.47, p<0.05). By contrast, S3diff indicated quadratic polynomial relationship with the sampling flow, with two optima at 135 and 460 ml/min sampling rates (R2=0.51, p<0.05).Our results highlight that changes in sampling flow rate bias the shape factors derived from SS capnogram. Increasing the sampling flow from 200 to 400-500 ml/min improves the accuracy of SS capnographic parameter estimations, approaching those obtained by the MS method. In clinical practice, however, the feasibility of increasing the sampling flow is limited by the loss of tidal volume, which is of great importance in paediatric patients.Supported by OTKA grant K115253.