Journal of anesthesia
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Journal of anesthesia · Jul 1990
Evaluation of conventional weaning criteria in patients with acute respiratory failure.
We evaluated the reliability of conventional weaning criteria from a ventilator during 33 weaning trials on 25 patients with acute respiratory failure (ARF). Of 13 criteria, a ratio of maximal voluntary ventilation to minute ventilation (MV) >2, a vital capacity >12 ml.kg(-1), a spontaneous respiratory rate <25 breaths.min(-1), and a MV <10 l.min(-1) appeared to be useful for predicting successful weaning outcome. ⋯ The present study demonstrates that conventional criteria are frequently inaccurate for predicting weaning outcomes and suggests that the use of some of these criteria may unnecessarily prolong the length of ventilator support. Since ventilation of most patients with poor oxygenation can be successfully discontinued by placing them on a continuous positive airway pressure system, these results suggest that the improvement of oxygenation is not an indispensable prerequisite for weaning from mechanical ventilators.
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We examined the effect of enflurane on diaphragmatic contractility in six anesthetized mechanically ventilated dogs. The diaphragmatic force was assessed from transdiaphragmatic pressure (Pdi) developed at functional residual capacity against an occluded airway during cervical phrenic nerve stimulation. Pdi-stimulus frequency relationship was compared at three levels of anesthesia, namely 1, 1.5, and 2 MAC (minimum alveolar concentration) of enflurane. ⋯ Pdi of 20 Hz stimulation was significantly decreased at 2 MAC as compared to those at 1 and 1.5 MAC. We conclude that enflurane decreases contractility of the diaphragm mainly through impairment of the neuromuscular transmission and/or membrane excitability. Part of its effects is, however, probably related to the impairment of excitation-contraction coupling, as suggested by the depression of Pdi at 2 MAC in response to 20 Hz stimulation.