Books on the topic 'Respiratory Gas Analysis'

Asthma - Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) - Non-invasive ventilation - Venous thromboembolism - Pneumonia - Spontaneous pneumothorax - Respiratory failure and oxygen therapy - Arterial blood gas analysis - SAQs

Arterial blood gases allow the assessment of patient oxygenation, ventilation, and acid-base status. Blood gas machines directly measure pH, and the partial pressures of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) and oxygen (PaO2) dissolved in arterial blood. Oxygenation is assessed by measuring PaO2 and arterial blood oxygen saturation (SaO2) in the context of the inspired oxygen and haemoglobin concentration, and the oxyhaemoglobin dissociation curve. Causes of arterial hypoxaemia may often be elucidated by determining the alveolar–arterial oxygen gradient. Ventilation is assessed by measuring the PaCO2 in the context of systemic acid-base balance. A rise in PaCO2 indicates alveolar hypoventilation, while a decrease indicates alveolar hyperventilation. Given the requirement to maintain a normal pH, functioning homeostatic mechanisms result in metabolic acidosis, triggering a compensatory hyperventilation, while metabolic alkalosis triggers a compensatory reduction in ventilation. Similarly, when primary alveolar hypoventilation generates a respiratory acidosis, it results in a compensatory increase in serum bicarbonate that is achieved in part by kidney bicarbonate retention. In the same way, respiratory alkalosis induces kidney bicarbonate loss. Acid-base assessment requires the integration of clinical findings and a systematic interpretation of arterial blood gas parameters. In clinical use, traditional acid-base interpretation rules based on the bicarbonate buffer system or standard base excess estimations and the interpretation of the anion gap, are substantially equivalent to the physicochemical method of Stewart, and are generally easier to use at the bedside. The Stewart method may have advantages in accurately explaining certain physiological and pathological acid base problems.

Difficulty in breathing is both a common presenting complaint and a major acute presentation in the emergency department (ED). This chapter covers the common causes of breathlessness. It focuses on the management and diagnosis of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in line with the British Thoracic Society guidelines, which may commonly appear as a short-answer question (SAQ). In addition, this chapter covers the pathophysiology of T2RF and its management, including the indications and contraindications for non-invasive ventilation. Another common topic examined in the SAQ paper is acid-base disturbances. This chapter includes a section on the indications and interpretation of arterial blood gas analysis.

Respiratory failure (RF) is defined as the acute or chronic impairment of respiratory system function to maintain normal oxygen and CO2 values when breathing room air. ‘Oxygenation failure’ occurs when O2 partial pressure (PaO2) value is lower than the normal predicted values for age and altitude and may be due to ventilation/perfusion mismatch or low oxygen concentration in the inspired air. In contrast, ‘ventilatory failure’ primarily involves CO2 elimination, with arterial CO2 partial pressure (PaCO2) higher than 45 mmHg. The most common causes are exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and neuromuscular fatigue, leading to dyspnoea, tachypnoea, tachycardia, use of accessory muscles of respiration, and altered consciousness. History and arterial blood gas analysis is the easiest way to assess the nature of acute RF and treatment should solve the baseline pathology. In severe cases mechanical ventilation is necessary as a ‘buying time’ therapy. The acute hypoxemic RF arising from widespread diffuse injury to the alveolar-capillary membrane is termed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which is the clinical and radiographic manifestation of acute pulmonary inflammatory states.

Respiratory failure (RF) is defined as the acute or chronic impairment of respiratory system function to maintain normal oxygen and CO2 values when breathing room air. ‘Oxygenation failure’ occurs when O2 partial pressure (PaO2) value is lower than the normal predicted values for age and altitude and may be due to ventilation/perfusion mismatch or low oxygen concentration in the inspired air. In contrast, ‘ventilatory failure’ primarily involves CO2 elimination, with arterial CO2 partial pressure (PaCO2) higher than 45 mmHg. The most common causes are exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, and neuromuscular fatigue, leading to dyspnoea, tachypnoea, tachycardia, use of accessory muscles of respiration, and altered consciousness. History and arterial blood gas analysis is the easiest way to assess the nature of acute RF and treatment should solve the baseline pathology. In severe cases mechanical ventilation is necessary as a ‘buying time’ therapy. The acute hypoxemic RF arising from widespread diffuse injury to the alveolar-capillary membrane is termed Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which is the clinical and radiographic manifestation of acute pulmonary inflammatory states.

This chapter on respiratory failure and mechanical ventilation provides essential information about how to support children with severe respiratory disorders. The authors discuss multiple modes of respiratory support, including high-flow nasal cannula oxygen, noninvasive ventilation with continuous positive airway pressure and bilevel positive airway pressure, as well as conventional, high-frequency, and alternative modes of invasive ventilation. The section on invasive mechanical ventilation includes key information regarding gas exchange goals, modes of ventilation, patient–ventilator interactions, ventilator parameters (including tidal volume, end-expiratory pressure, and peak plateau pressure), extubation readiness testing, and troubleshooting. The authors also provide the new consensus definition of pediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome. Also included are multiple figures and indispensable information on adjunctive therapies (inhaled nitric oxide, surfactant, prone positioning, and corticosteroids) and respiratory monitoring (including capnography and airway graphics analysis).

Chapter 25 introduced some basic generic principles applicable to many measurement and monitoring techniques. Chapter 43 introduces those principles not covered in Chapter 25 and discusses in detail the clinical applications and limitations of the many monitoring techniques available to the modern clinical anaesthetist. It starts with non-invasive blood pressure measurement, including clinical and automated techniques. This is followed by techniques of direct blood pressure measurement, noting that transducers and calibration have been discussed in Chapter 25. This is followed by electrocardiography. There then follows a section on the different methods of measuring cardiac output, including the pulmonary artery catheter, the application of ultrasound in echocardiography, pulse contour analysis (LiDCO™ and PiCCO™), and transthoracic electrical impedance. Pulse oximetry is then discussed in some detail. Depth of anaesthesia monitoring is then described, starting with the electroencephalogram and its application in BIS™ monitors, the use of evoked potentials, and entropy. There then follow sections on gas pressure measurement in cylinders and in breathing systems, followed by gas volume and flow measurement, including the rotameter, spirometry, and the pneumotachograph, and the measurement of lung dead space and functional residual capacity using body plethysmography and dilution techniques. The final section is on respiratory gas analysis, starting with light refractometry as the standard against which other techniques are compared, infrared spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, and Raman spectroscopy (the principles of these techniques having been introduced in Chapter 25), piezoelectric and paramagnetic analysers, polarography and fuel cells, and blood gas analysis.

Any public debate about air pollution starts with the premise that air pollution cannot be good for you, so we should have less of it. However, it is much more difficult to determine how much is dangerous, and even more difficult to decide how much we are willing to pay for improvements in measured air pollution. Recent UK estimates suggest that fine particulate pollution causes about 6500 deaths per year, although it is not clear how many years of life are lost as a result. Some deaths may just be brought forward by a few days or weeks, while others may be truly premature. Globally, household pollution from cooking fuels may cause up to two million premature deaths per year in the developing world. The hazards of black smoke air pollution have been known since antiquity. The first descriptions of deaths caused by air pollution are those recorded after the eruption of Vesuvius in ad 79. In modern times, the infamous smogs of the early twentieth century in Belgium and London were clearly shown to trigger deaths in people with chronic bronchitis and heart disease. In mechanistic terms, black smoke and sulphur dioxide generated from industrial processes and domestic coal burning cause airway inflammation, exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, and consequent heart failure. Epidemiological analysis has confirmed that the deaths included both those who were likely to have died soon anyway and those who might well have survived for months or years if the pollution event had not occurred. Clean air legislation has dramatically reduced the levels of these traditional pollutants in the West, although these pollutants are still important in China, and smoke from solid cooking fuel continues to take a heavy toll amongst women in less developed parts of the world. New forms of air pollution have emerged, principally due to the increase in motor vehicle traffic since the 1950s. The combination of fine particulates and ground-level ozone causes ‘summer smogs’ which intensify over cities during summer periods of high barometric pressure. In Los Angeles and Mexico City, ozone concentrations commonly reach levels which are associated with adverse respiratory effects in normal and asthmatic subjects. Ozone directly affects the airways, causing reduced inspiratory capacity. This effect is more marked in patients with asthma and is clinically important, since epidemiological studies have found linear associations between ozone concentrations and admission rates for asthma and related respiratory diseases. Ozone induces an acute neutrophilic inflammatory response in both human and animal airways, together with release of chemokines (e.g. interleukin 8 and growth-related oncogene-alpha). Nitrogen oxides have less direct effect on human airways, but they increase the response to allergen challenge in patients with atopic asthma. Nitrogen oxide exposure also increases the risk of becoming ill after exposure to influenza. Alveolar macrophages are less able to inactivate influenza viruses and this leads to an increased probability of infection after experimental exposure to influenza. In the last two decades, major concerns have been raised about the effects of fine particulates. An association between fine particulate levels and cardiovascular and respiratory mortality and morbidity was first reported in 1993 and has since been confirmed in several other countries. Globally, about 90% of airborne particles are formed naturally, from sea spray, dust storms, volcanoes, and burning grass and forests. Human activity accounts for about 10% of aerosols (in terms of mass). This comes from transport, power stations, and various industrial processes. Diesel exhaust is the principal source of fine particulate pollution in Europe, while sea spray is the principal source in California, and agricultural activity is a major contributor in inland areas of the US. Dust storms are important sources in the Sahara, the Middle East, and parts of China. The mechanism of adverse health effects remains unclear but, unlike the case for ozone and nitrogen oxides, there is no safe threshold for the health effects of particulates. Since the 1990s, tax measures aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions have led to a rapid rise in the proportion of new cars with diesel engines. In the UK, this rose from 4% in 1990 to one-third of new cars in 2004 while, in France, over half of new vehicles have diesel engines. Diesel exhaust particles may increase the risk of sensitization to airborne allergens and cause airways inflammation both in vitro and in vivo. Extensive epidemiological work has confirmed that there is an association between increased exposure to environmental fine particulates and death from cardiovascular causes. Various mechanisms have been proposed: cardiac rhythm disturbance seems the most likely at present. It has also been proposed that high numbers of ultrafine particles may cause alveolar inflammation which then exacerbates preexisting cardiac and pulmonary disease. In support of this hypothesis, the metal content of ultrafine particles induces oxidative stress when alveolar macrophages are exposed to particles in vitro. While this is a plausible mechanism, in epidemiological studies it is difficult to separate the effects of ultrafine particles from those of other traffic-related pollutants.