Effects of apparatus dead space on volumetric capnograms in neonates with healthy lungs: a simulation study.

BACKGROUND: Volumetric capnography in healthy ventilated neonates showed deformed waveforms, which are supposedly due to technological limitations of flow and carbon dioxide sensors. AIMS: This bench study analyzed the role of apparatus dead space on the shape of capnograms in simulated neonates with healthy lungs. METHODS: We simulated mechanical breaths in neonates of 2, 2.5, and 3 kg of body weight using a neonatal volumetric capnography simulator. The simulator was fed by a fixed amount of carbon dioxide of 6 mL/kg/min. Such simulator was ventilated in a volume control mode using fixed ventilatory settings with a tidal volume of 8 mL/kg and respiratory rates of 40, 35, and 30 breaths per minute for the 2, 2.5 and 3 kg neonates, respectively. We tested the above baseline ventilation with and without an additional apparatus dead space of 4 mL. RESULTS: Simulations showed that adding the apparatus dead space to baseline ventilation increased the amount of re-inhaled carbon dioxide in all neonates: 0.16 ± 0.01 to 0.32 ± 0.03 mL (2 kg), 0.14 ± 0.02 to 0.39 ± 0.05 mL (2.5 kg), and 0.13 ± 0.01 to 0.36 ± 0.05 mL (3 kg); (p < .001). Apparatus dead space was computed as part of the airway dead space, and therefore, the ratio of airway dead space to tidal volume increased from 0.51 ± 0.04 to 0.68 ± 0.06, from 0.43 ± 0.04 to 0.62 ± 0.01 and from 0.38 ± 0.01 to 0.60 ± 0.02 in the 2, 2.5 and 3 kg simulated neonates, respectively (p < .001). Compared to baseline ventilation, adding apparatus dead space decreased the ratio of the volume of phase III to VT size from 31% to 11% (2 kg), from 40% to 16% (2.5 kg) and from 50% to 18% (3 kg); (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The addition of a small apparatus dead space artificially deformed the volumetric capnograms in simulated neonates with healthy lungs.

Development of a Novel Infant Volumetric Capnography Simulator: Making the Invisible Visible Improves Understanding and Safety.

METHODS: An infant lung simulator was fed with CO2 supplied by a mass flow controller (VCO2-IN) and ventilated using standard settings. A volumetric capnograph was placed between the endotracheal tube and the ventilatory circuit. We simulated ventilated babies of different body weights (2, 2.5, 3, and 5 kg) with a VCO2 ranging from 12 to 30 mL/min. The correlation coefficient (r2), bias, coefficient of variation (CV = SD/x × 100), and precision (2 × CV) between the VCO2-IN and the elimination of CO2 recorded by the capnograph (VCO2-OUT) were calculated. The quality of the capnogram's waveforms was compared with real ones belonging to anesthetized infants using an 8-point scoring system, where 6 points or greater meant that the simulated capnogram showed good, 5 to 3 points acceptable, and less than 3 points an unacceptable shape. RESULTS: The correlation between VCO2-IN and VCO2-OUT was r2 = 0.9953 (P < 0.001), with a bias of 0.16 (95% confidence intervals from 0.12 to 0.20) mL/min. The CV was 5% or less and the precision was 10% or less. All simulated capnograms showed similar shapes compared with real babies, scoring 6 points for 3 kg and 6.5 points for 2-, 2.5-, and 5-kg babies. CONCLUSIONS: The simulator of volumetric capnograms was reliable, accurate, and precise for simulating the CO2 kinetics of ventilated infants.