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Use of Flow-Volume Loops on a Mechanically Ventilated Pediatric Patient as a Diagnostic Tool for Fixed Airway Obstruction
The flow-volume loop (FV-loop) provides a graphical representation of the inspiratory and expiratory flow of both mechanically provided breaths and patient-triggered breaths during invasive mechanical ventilation. The FV-loop on the ventilator-delivered breath displays the active inspiratory flow re...
Autores principales: | , , , |
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Formato: | Online Artículo Texto |
Lenguaje: | English |
Publicado: |
Cureus
2023
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Materias: | |
Acceso en línea: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10311944/ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/37398814 http://dx.doi.org/10.7759/cureus.39765 |
Sumario: | The flow-volume loop (FV-loop) provides a graphical representation of the inspiratory and expiratory flow of both mechanically provided breaths and patient-triggered breaths during invasive mechanical ventilation. The FV-loop on the ventilator-delivered breath displays the active inspiratory flow reflective of lung compliance and the passive expiratory flow reflective of airway resistance. Our case report highlights the importance of the FV-loop in determining a fixed airway obstruction. A five-month-old male presented to the emergency department with worsening respiratory distress in the setting of rhino-enterovirus. He was admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and intubated for acute hypoxic respiratory failure. The findings on his ventilator FV-loop graphics denoted a fixed airway obstruction, as seen by the truncation of inspiratory and expiratory flow. The patient was subsequently found to have a left pulmonary artery (LPA) sling with a vascular ring and several complete tracheal rings. He was transferred to a referral institution for operative management, returned to our PICU, and discharged home after 47 days of hospital management. During mechanical ventilation, FV-loops can be effectively utilized to assist in the diagnosis of fixed intra- or extra-thoracic airway obstructions. |
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