Ventilatory Requirements of Critically Ill Neonates

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Abstract
Ventilatory requirement was assessed on 31 occasions in 15 critically ill [human] neonates in respiratory failure. All were currently receiving mechanical ventilation or had mechanical ventilation in the recent past. Minute ventilation, respiratory frequency, CO2 production (.ovrhdot.VCO2)and arterial blood CO2 pressure [PaCO2] were measured. Dead space-to-tidal volume ratios (VD/VT) were calculated. The ventilatory requirements of the infants ranged from 1.16 to 4.30 times normal. Derived parameters related the increased ventilatory requirement to pulmonary (VD/VT) and metabolic (.ovrhdot.VCO2) factors. The increased requirement was not significantly related more often to either of these 2 factors, although one or the other was frequently predominant in individual cases. Data presented allow specification of the minute volume range needed for ventilators designed for neonates, and of the maximal compressible volume that can be tolerated when expired volume monitoring is desired.

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