Simple and versatile method for measuring oxygen consumption in infants.
A simple, rapid, and accurate method for measuring oxygen consumption in infants is described. Expired gas is entrained in a stream of air drawn through a gently applied face mask. Oxygen consumption is derived from (1) gas flow rate, measured with a flowmeter, and (2) the fall in oxygen concentration of the gas mixture, measured with a paramagnetic analyser. A measurement can be made at the bedside within 2 minutes without disturbing the infant. In 17 mature 2-day-old neonates mean oxygen consumption was 6.52 ml/kg per min, SD 0.90, similar to that previously reported using less simple methods,
D005069:Evaluation Studies as Topic; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008397:Masks; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000379:methods*