Critical care medicine
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To determine the influence of the dynamic properties of the oscillator on the oscillatory volume delivered through the endotracheal tube to the lung or lung surrogate (delivered volume) under conditions of high-frequency ventilation. In particular, the relation between the tidal volume of the pump (oscillator) and the delivered volume was analyzed. PaCO2 was measured further as a function of the delivered volume in a number of experiments performed with healthy dogs. ⋯ a) The delivered volume has to be monitored under clinical conditions; b) however, because the impedance of the endotracheal tube in general considerably exceeds the impedance of the lung, the influence of the impedance of the lung on the delivered volume is generally small, and thus an in vitro calibration may serve as a useful approximation; c) at least two independent quantities are needed for an adequate oscillatory control; d) a necessary (not necessarily sufficient) condition for adequate CO2 removal is that the delivered volume must exceed the machine-related deadspace; e) in a clinical environment involving extremely pathologic lung conditions, e.g., adult respiratory distress syndrome, mechanical lung characteristics may deviate substantially from those characteristics used in this study (i.e., the results obtained may not necessarily be applicable under all clinical situations).