• Renata dos S Vasconcelos, Luíz Henrique de P Melo, Raquel P Sales, Liégina S Marinho, Flávio C Deulefeu, Ricardo C Reis, Mirizana Alves-de-Almeida, and Marcelo A Holanda.
• Laboratory of Respiration, Department of Internal Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil.
• Respiration. 2013 Jan 1;86(6):497-503.

BackgroundThe digital Auto-Trak™ system is a technology capable of automatically adjusting the triggering and cycling mechanisms during pressure support ventilation (PSV).ObjectiveTo compare Auto-Trak with conventional settings in terms of patient-ventilator synchrony and discomfort.MethodsTwelve healthy volunteers underwent PSV via the mouth by breathing through an endotracheal tube. In the conventional setting, a pressure support of 8 cm H2O with flow cycling (25% peak inspiratory flow) and a sensitivity of 1 cm H2O was adjusted. In Auto-Trak the triggering and cycling were automatically set. Discomfort, effort of breathing, and the asynchrony index (AI) were assessed. In a complementary bench study, the inspiratory and expiratory time delays were quantified for both settings in three mechanical models: 'normal', obstructive (COPD), and restrictive (ARDS), using the ASL 5000 simulator.ResultsIn the volunteer study the AI and the discomfort scores did not differ statistically between the two settings. In the bench investigation the use of Auto-Trak was associated with a greater triggering delay in the COPD model and earlier expiratory cycling in the ARDS model but with no asynchronic events.ConclusionsUse of the Auto-Trak system during PSV showed similar results in comparison to the conventional adjustments with respect to patient-ventilator synchrony and discomfort in simulated conditions of invasive mechanical ventilation.Copyright © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

17 keywords...

hide…