title: Analysis of ventilation and performance abnormalities by washout in alveolar air and arterial blood continuous measurement of inert gas.
abstract: The availability of a rapidly responding arterial catheter and gas analyzer permits the observation of inert gas washout from arterial and alveolar sources. These curves are a logical development of alveolar washout techniques and appear to provide significant new information. While a detailed and formal mathematical treatment of combined alveolar, arterial, and mixed venous washout curves has not yet been derived, inspection and measurement of the y-intercept of the terminal slow space has provided considerable understanding into the distribution of V/Q ratios in the critically ill patient.
mesh_terms: D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D002404:Catheterization; D003422:Critical Care; D006801:Humans; D005741:Noble Gases; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation; D014692:Ventilation-Perfusion Ratio
chemical_list: D005741:Noble Gases