Abstract
The purpose of this study is to evaluate an automated (A) measurement of pressure-volume (P-V) curve compared with a manual (M) measurement by using a super-syringe technique. The automated system comprises a linear slider to drive a plunger, an electromechanical controller, and a personal computer.
Six white rabbits were mechanically ventilated at a rate of 20min-1, pressure control level 10cmH2O, TI 0.6sec, and PEEP 3cmH2O. The lungs of each animal were inflated in steps of 5ml to a total of 50ml and PV curves were measured both in physiological model and pathological model made by bronchoalveolar lavage. Total inflation time was 20.5±0.02sec in A and 19.9±1.54sec in M. The dispersion seen in M was mainly attributable to unequal plateau time and also total time of each inflation step. The automated inflation system in this study repeatedly proved its reliability by showing a very small margin of error.
