• Evangelia Akoumianaki, George Prinianakis, Eumorfia Kondili, Polychronis Malliotakis, and Dimitris Georgopoulos.
• Intensive Care Medicine Department, University Hospital of Heraklion, Medical School, University of Crete, Heraklion, Crete, Greece.
• Respir Physiol Neurobiol. 2014 Nov 1;203:82-9.

UnlabelledTo compare, in a group of difficult to wean critically ill patients, the short-term effects of neurally adjusted ventilator assist (NAVA), proportional assist (PAV+) and pressure support (PSV) ventilation on patient-ventilator interaction.MethodsSeventeen patients were studied during NAVA, PAV+ and PSV with and without artificial increase in ventilator demands (dead space in 10 and chest load in 7 patients). Prior to challenge addition the level of assist in each of the three modes tested was adjusted to get the same level of patient's effort.ResultsCompared to PSV, proportional modes favored tidal volume variability. Patient effort increase after dead space was comparable among the three modes. After chest load, patient effort increased significantly more with NAVA and PSV compared to PAV+. Triggering delay was significantly higher with PAV+. The linear correlation between tidal volume and inspiratory integral of transdiaphragmatic pressure (PTPdi) was weaker with NAVA than with PAV+ and PSV on account of a weaker inspiratory integral of the electrical activity of the diaphragm (∫EAdi)-PTPdi linear correlation during NAVA [median (interquartile range) of r(2), determination of coefficient, 16.2% (1.4-30.9%)].ConclusionCompared to PSV, proportional modes favored tidal volume variability. The weak ∫EAdi-PTPdi linear relationship during NAVA and poor triggering function during PAV+ may limit the effectiveness of these modes to proportionally assist the inspiratory effort.Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

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