Ventilatory requirements of critically ill neonates.
Ventrilatory requirement was assessed in 15 critically ill neonates on a total of 31 occasions. All were either currently receiving mechanical ventilation or had had mechanical ventilation in the recent past. Minute ventilation, respiratory frequency, carbon dioxide production (VCO2) and arterial blood PaCO2 were measured. Dead space-to-tidal volume ratios (VD/VT) were calculated. The ventilatory requirements of the infants ranged from 1.16 to 4.30 times normal. Derived parameters related the increased ventilatory requirement to pulmonary (VD/VT) and metabolic (VCO2) factors. The increased requirement was not significantly related more often to either of these two factors, although one or the other was frequently predominant in individual cases. Data presented allow specification of the minute volume range needed for ventilators designed for neonates, and the maximal compressible volume that can be tolerated when expired volume monitoring is desired.
D001835:Body Weight; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000096:biosynthesis; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D012131:Respiratory Insufficiency / Q000628:therapy
D002245:Carbon Dioxide