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Biomedical subjects

P G Boysen

Publications and source records attributed to P G Boysen.

16 recordsLinked to original sources

Graded exercise testing and postthoracotomy complications.

A controversy exists over whether or not preoperative exercise testing can predict postthoracotomy complications. This study was designed to evaluate the usefulness of a presurgical exercise protocol in patients with lung disease, but no evidence of cardiac disease. Seventy patients underwent baseline pulmonary function testing and split function perfusion studies, when indicated, to calculate predicted postoperative pulmonary function. Noninvasive data were incrementally collected from 17 patients by using a treadmill exercise tolerance test that was designed to elicit maximal performance. Inhaled and exhaled gas flow and volume, the partial pressure of O2 and CO2, maximal O2 consumption (VO2max), and maximal minute ventilation (VE max) were measured. The breathing and heart rate reserves were calculated by standard formulae in an attempt to separate cardiac from pulmonary exercise limitation. Two patients had postoperative cardiopulmonary complications after thoracotomy and lung resection, and six patients had noncardiopulmonary complications. There was no significant prognostic relationship among VO2max, VE max, maximum O2 pulse, and the incidence of postoperative cardiopulmonary complications. The percentages of predicted VE max and predicted maximum heart rate were related to the occurrence of total complications, but not specifically to cardiopulmonary complications. The results emphasize the difficulty in attempting to exercise thoracotomy candidates with chronic lung disease to maximal performance. Excluding patients from further surgical consideration because of exercise limitation is not feasible based on these data.

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Pressure support and flow-cycled, assisted mechanical ventilation in acute lung injury.

Pressure support is a ventilatory mode, available with many microprocessor ventilators, which is patient-triggered, pressure-limited, and flow-cycled. This study compared the respiratory and hemodynamic effects of PS used as a stand-alone mode of ventilation with those of conventional patient-triggered, flow-cycled, assisted mechanical ventilation. Instruments for hemodynamic and respiratory measurements were placed in ten spontaneously breathing, anesthetized sheep. In each animal, baseline measurements were made during PS and flow-cycled AMV. Acute lung injury was then instituted by instilling hydrochloric acid in the endotracheal tube, and after 60 minutes, measurements were repeated. No hemodynamic or respiratory variables differed, either before or after ALI, between PS and AMV. This study demonstrates that PS, when used as a stand-alone mode of ventilation, has similar hemodynamic and respiratory effects as flow-cycled AMV.

Animals

Accurate determination of end-tidal carbon dioxide during administration of oxygen by nasal cannulae.

Measurement of end-tidal carbon dioxide tension (PETCO2) by mass spectrometry or infrared capnometry provides a clinically useful approximation of arterial carbon dioxide tension (PaCO2) in intubated patients. Although several devices have been proposed to sample PETCO2 during spontaneous breathing (i.e., unintubated patients receiving supplemental oxygen), thus far no reports have documented their efficacy. This article reports the use of an easily constructed modification of simple nasal cannulae that permits accurate sampling of PETCO2 during oxygen administration to unintubated patients. After amputation of the closed tip, a cap from a syringe was inserted via a slit made at the base into one prong of a pair of nasal cannulae. A capnometer was connected to the syringe cap, and PETCO2 and PaCO2 were determined simultaneously during the administration of 3 L/min oxygen via nasal cannulae to 21 normocapnic patients. The PaCO2 - PETCO2 gradients were calculated and compared with values obtained in the same patients after intubation and mechanical ventilation. No significant difference was found between the calculated gradients with nasal cannulae (2.09 +/- 2.18 mm Hg) versus intubation (2.87 +/- 2.82 mm Hg). Simultaneous oxygen administration and accurate sampling of PETCO2 may be achieved in unintubated patients by using this easily constructed modification of nasal cannulae.

Adult

High-frequency percussive ventilation compared with conventional mechanical ventilation.

In seven patients with severe respiratory distress, conventional mechanical ventilation and PEEP were used initially for respiratory support, which was changed to high-frequency percussive ventilation (HFPV) at the same level of airway pressure and FIO2. During both modes of ventilation, patients could breathe spontaneously via a low-threshold demand valve. With HFPV, PaO2 improved significantly (p less than .01) compared with PaO2 during conventional methods. Cardiac output was unaffected by the change to HFPV.

Carbon Dioxide

Effects of expiratory flow resistance on inspiratory work of breathing.

To minimize work of breathing, airway pressure should not fluctuate during spontaneous breathing with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). However, flow resistance in the inspiratory limb of the breathing circuit and an inadequate continuous gas flow rate result in airway pressure fluctuation and increased work of breathing. Flow resistance of the expiratory pressure/exhalation valve also directly affects the level of airway pressure during spontaneous inhalation with CPAP (the greater the resistance of the valve, the greater the decrease in airway pressure and work of breathing). We compared this effect with three types of expiratory pressure valves: a threshold resistor with low resistance to flow, an inflatable balloon (mushroom) valve with moderate resistance to flow, and a variable-orifice flow resistor with a high resistance to flow. Work increased up to threefold with the balloon valve and more than tenfold with the flow resistor compared with the threshold resistor. To apply CPAP, expiratory pressure valves with low resistance to flow should be used to minimize fluctuations in airway pressure and, thus, in the work of spontaneous breathing.

Humans

Noninvasive monitoring of lung function during mechanical ventilation.

Noninvasive monitoring can greatly enhance decision-making and clinical approaches to the respiratory failure patient. Newer microprocessor systems will calculate, present, and trend derived data such as airway resistance and lung-thorax compliance. These changes characterize the degree of lung dysfunction and parallel abnormalities in gas exchange.

Airway Resistance

Flow resistance of expiratory positive-pressure valve systems.

The flow-resistive characteristics of a variety of commercially available expiratory positive-pressure valve systems used to provide continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and positive end-expiratory pressure were evaluated. One flow-resistor and seven threshold-resistor expiratory pressure valve systems were set at 5, 10, 15, 20, and 25 cm H2O of expiratory pressure, and sinusoidal exhaled flows peaking at 50,100, and 200 L/min were directed through each valve at each level of expiratory pressure. The Siemens flow-resistor valve demonstrated the greatest deviation in pressure above set CPAP levels at peak flow rates of 100 and 200 L/min, which suggests high resistance to exhaled flow. The Vital Signs threshold-resistor valve demonstrated the least deviation in pressure from set CPAP levels at all rates of exhaled flow, which suggests low flow resistance. The Emerson and IMV Bird threshold-resistor systems resisted flow less than the BEAR-2 and the Puritan-Bennett MA-2 and 7200 inflatable-balloon threshold-resistor-like valve systems. These data suggest that threshold resistors may be classified as low-resistance or high-resistance types. Using only low-resistance threshold resistors for CPAP may minimize the incidence of barotrauma and other deleterious effects related to airway pressure.

Airway Resistance

Sleep apnea, hypopnea and oxygen desaturation in normal subjects. A strong male predominance.

Thirty asymptomatic men and 19 asymptomatic women were monitored during one night's sleep to determine the incidence of breathing abnormalities and oxygen desaturation in normal subjects. Twenty men accounted for 264 episodes of nocturnal oxygen desaturation or abnormal breathing. Women never experienced oxygen desaturation, and only three had a total of nine episodes of apnea. These sex differences were highly significant (P less than 0.003). In men, increasing age and obesity correlated positively with the incidence of nocturnal oxygen desaturation and abnormal breathing. Four asymptomatic men weighing more than 90 kg dropped their saturation to very low levels (68 to 72 per cent). Abnormal breathing and oxygen desaturation during sleep in subjects with chronic obstructive lung disease of the syndrome of hypersomnolence with periodic breathing may represent the superimposition of smoking or obesity on a normal tendency to snoring and oxygen desaturation in men.

Adult

Nocturnal pulmonary hypertension in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Oxygen desaturation occurs during sleep in some patients with COPD. To investigate the effects of these hypoxemic episodes on the pulmonary vasculature, we studied four patients with our routine polysomnographic techniques and simultaneously recorded pulmonary artery pressure. In all four subjects, nocturnal episodes of desaturation were accompanied by elevations in the pulmonary artery pressure. Low flow oxygen abolished the drops in arterial oxygen saturation (but not the breathing abnormalities) and no elevations in the PA pressure were observed. We postulate that in some COPD patients these initially transient events may lead to sustained pulmonary hypertension and cor pulmonale. Nocturnal oxygen therapy may be indicated in more patients than previously suspected and may prevent the development of cor pulmonale.

Adult

Prospective evaluation for pneumonectomy using the 99mtechnetium quantitative perfusion lung scan.

We evaluated 33 high-risk patients before pneumonectomy, all of whom had a forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) of less than 2.0 L before surgery. A quantitative perfusion lung scan was used to assess the right-left distribution of blood flow. A predicted postoperative FEV1 was calculated from the information on the lung scan and the preoperative FEV1. If this calculated value exceeded 800 ml, the patient was physiologically cleared for surgery up to and including a pneumonectomy. Surgery was otherwise believed to be contraindicated in the absence of studies using balloon occlusion. Perioperative mortality (less than or equal to 30 days after surgery) was found to be 15 percent (5/33). In surgery of this magnitude, we find this to be an acceptable percentage of mortality and have continued to use these simple physiologic criteria to determine whether a patient can tolerate pneumonectomy.

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