PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

P F Niederer

Publications and source records attributed to P F Niederer.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1992

Gas transport during high-frequency ventilation: the significance of direct wash-out.

Gas transport during high-frequency oscillation was investigated in vitro using CO2 elimination from the lung surrogate as a measure of gas transport efficiency. The length of the connecting tube between the piston pump and the three-port connector did not affect gas transport efficiency if the oscillatory volume (VDEL) was constant; inserting an additional tube between the three-port connector and the endotracheal tube decreased gas transport efficiency dramatically. In contradistinction, increasing VDEL caused a steep rise in gas transport efficiency as soon as VDEL surpassed the volume of the tubes connecting the lung surrogate with its surroundings. As gas transport efficiency was found to be very sensitive to the net oscillatory volume, i.e. VDEL minus the volume of the tubes connecting the lung and the surroundings, direct wash-out was considered to be an effective gas transport mechanism during high frequency oscillation. Two preliminary experiments on dogs allowed us to substantiate this hypothesis in vivo.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Significance of bulk convection during high-frequency oscillation.

In 7 anesthetized supine dogs with an anatomic dead space of 115-162 ml, gas transport during high-frequency oscillation (HFO) was investigated at an oscillatory frequency of 15 Hz. Starting with an oscillatory volume effectively delivered to the lungs (VDEL) of 60 ml, measured on line with an ultrasonic airflow meter, VDEL was reduced in steps of 10 ml, down to a VDEL of 30 ml, whereby fresh gas flow rate, airway occlusion pressure and lung volume above functional residual capacity were kept constant. An HFO-circuit without bias tube was used. The volume of endotracheal tube and three port connector, designated as HFO-circuit related rebreathing volume, was 35 ml. PaCO2 continuously increased, when VDEL was reduced from 60 ml to 40 ml and the data fit perfectly to a reciprocal regression (1/PaCO2 = a + b.VDEL), r2 ranging from 0.95 to 1.00. Measured PaCO2 values at a VDEL of 30 ml (8.26 +/- 1.77 kPa), however, were significantly (P less than 0.025) higher than PaCO2 values predicted by the individual reciprocal regression equations (6.25 +/- 1.46 kPa). This overproportionate increase in PaCO2 due to a reduction of VDEL from 40 ml to 30 ml may be explained by the sudden drop out of bulk convection as a gas transport mechanism between central airways and the surrounding because bulk convection is only possible as long as VDEL exceeds the HFO-circuit related rebreathing volume. Bulk convection therefore is considered an essential gas transport mechanism during HFO and the efficiency of CO2 elimination during HFO is critically dependent on the net oscillatory volume, i.e. VDEL minus the HFO-circuit related rebreathing volume and not on the relationship between VDEL and anatomic dead space.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Gas transport enhancement in high-frequency oscillation.

Gas transport during high-frequency oscillation (HFO) with (HFO+BT) and without bias tube (HFO-BT) was investigated in 10 anesthetized supine dogs. The oscillatory volume effectively delivered to the lungs, airway occlusion pressure and lung volume above functional residual capacity (FRC), regulated by a newly deviced pressure control system, as well as the oscillatory frequency (20 Hz) were adjusted to equal levels in HFO+BT and HFO-BT. At a fresh gas flow rate (fgf) of 3 L/min (room air), arterial CO2 partial pressures (PaCO2) decreased from 49.9 +/- 6.5 mm Hg (mean +/- SD) to 40.2 +/- 6.3 mm Hg (P less than 0.01) i.e. by 19.2 +/- 8.7%, and arterial O2 partial pressures (PaO2) increased from 71.5 +/- 13.1 mm Hg to 85.6 +/- 14.6 mm Hg (P less than 0.01) or by 20.5 +/- 12.0% in HFO-BT as compared to HFO+BT. At a fgf of 6 L/min, PaCO2 decreased less but still significantly (P less than 0.025) from 42.1 +/- 6.5 mm Hg to 37.8 +/- 6.8 mm Hg (10.4 +/- 5.6%) and PaO2 increased from 78.1 +/- 12.9 mm Hg to 84.6 +/- 16.4 mm Hg i.e. by 8.1 +/- 6.4% (P less than 0.05) in HFO-BT. The higher gas transport efficiency after removing the bias tube can be explained by two mechanisms: (1) By removing the bias tube, the volume of the bias system decreased from 54 ml in HFO+BT to 1 ml in HFO-BT and rebreathing of exhaust gas from the bias system is therefore eliminated in HFO-BT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Augmentation of CO2 elimination during high frequency oscillation by removing the bias tube--an in vitro study.

In clinical applications of high frequency oscillation (HFO), sufficient CO2 elimination (VCO2) may represent a problem mainly at higher oscillation frequencies. With the intention of examining how to increase VCO2 a modified bias flow system was investigated in vitro with wash-out experiments. In bias flow systems, long tubes have been used in order to minimize the loss of oscillatory volume; however, a distinct increase of VCO2 was achieved in the present study by removing the bias tube. This improvement occurred over the whole frequency range of 2-60 Hz, although the oscillatory volume, effectively delivered to the lungs was smaller with the HFO circuit without bias tube (HFO-BT) as compared to the arrangement with bias tube (HFO + BT). A long bias tube flattens the CO2 concentration gradient from the alveoli to the atmosphere. Removing the bias tube results in a steeper CO2 concentration gradient and in a correspondingly enhanced VCO2. Furthermore, the large oscillatory volume at the exit of the bias flow system in HFO-BT supports VCO2 as an additional wash-out mechanism. Based upon longitudinal tracer gas concentration measurements between the alveoli and the atmosphere during HFO16,17, an increase of gas transport up to 20% can be expected for in vivo applications by removing the bias tube.

Carbon Dioxide↗
PubMed1989

Lung surrogates.

In the development and evaluation of mechanical ventilation on the basis of high-frequency oscillation, appropriate surrogates of the lung are important, because they allow the measurement and control of various parameters which are not accessible in animal models. Yet, criteria have to be established according to which results obtained with a surrogate may be assessed with a view to extrapolation to humans. Theoretical considerations and impedance measurements are used for this purpose. It is found that for each given frequency a model can be made which exhibits realistic properties. However, no uniformly valid surrogate in the entire frequency range of 10-50 Hz is available at present.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

Flow separation, an important mechanism in the formation of mean pulmonary pressure during high-frequency oscillation.

Mean pressures within the lungs and lung volume, respectively, are clinically important parameters. During ventilation by way of high-frequency oscillation (HFO), these parameters have been shown to be strongly frequency dependent. To identify mechanisms leading to mean pressure formation during HFO, findings of the theory of stationary flow were extended to oscillatory flow by a quasi-stationary approach. To confirm the theoretical findings, in-vitro experiments on HFO-models were performed. Flow separation was found to be an important mechanism in the formation of mean pressure. Flow separation causes a significant flow resistance, which may be distinctly different for in- and outflow. During oscillatory flow, a mean pressure difference thus results. This mechanism is of particular importance in bifurcations, which are present in the HFO-circuit as well as in the airways. With the direction-dependent flow separation, a general mechanism was found, which accounts for differing mean pressure values within the lungs with different HFO-circuits. This mechanism also contributes to interregionally different mean pressure values within the lungs.

High-Frequency Ventilation↗
PubMed1987

Motion patterns of pedestrian surrogates in simulated vehicle-pedestrian collisions.

In about 80-85% of all vehicle-pedestrian collisions, a pedestrian is hit by the frontal area of a vehicle. Thereby, an enormous variety of spatial motion patterns of the impacted pedestrian is observed. The analysis of injury mechanisms and injury prevention measures depends largely on a sufficient knowledge of the relevant impact-induced motions. Accordingly, the investigation and classification of these motions is an important task in accident biomechanics. To this end, about 150 collision experiments with the aid of a catapult and several types of pedestrian surrogates were performed. Also, extensive use of a mathematical gross motion analysis model was made. The experimental impacts were analysed with the aid of automated high-speed cinephotogrammetry and acceleration measurements while the mathematical model was validated and calibrated for a number of impact configurations chosen strategically. Results of the experimental and theoretical impact simulations are presented which are related to the observed motion characteristics. In particular, a method is discussed which allows the assessment of the sensitivity of a given motion with respect to the impact parameters. An attempt is made to classify these parameters according to the significance of their influence, whereby pedestrian-related and vehicle-related parameters are discerned. It was found, that such a classification is necessary and possible and results are shown.

Acceleration↗