[Mechanical ventilation in an anesthetic circle system using the lowest tidal volume--studies of 3 anesthesia ventilators in a lung model and an animal experiment].

No anesthesia ventilator attached to a circle system is manufactured for use in neonates. However, a small bellows can be supplied for the following anesthesia ventilators: Spiromat NS 656 (NS), Ventilog 2 (V2) and AV1 (Draeger Co.) We investigated the minimal tidal volume delivered by each of the three ventilators. In addition, we tested the performance of the AV1 in neonatal piglets for manual and controlled ventilation, and in decreased lung compliance. MATERIALS AND METHODS. All circuits were equipped with one CO2 canister (750 ml) and the low-compliance tubes of the "Ulmer Kinder Set" (Ruesch Co.) The circuits were connected to a lung model consisting of a glass cylinder filled with copper wool with a compliance of 3.0 ml/mbar. By using calibrated glass syringes we created a pressure-volume correlation for the entire system, i.e., the lung model, the anesthesia circuit and the ventilator, which was linear for each of the three ventilators. The pressure was measured in the test lung. The pressure increase caused by the tidal volume therefore reflected the actual tidal volume delivered, which was calculated using the pressure-volume correlation. Tidal volumes were determined for varying the fresh gas flow (FGF), the respiratory rate (RR), which was varied between 20 and 60/min and the I:E ratio (IE), which was varied between 1:1 and 1:2. Six newborn piglets aged 2-12 h and with body weight 1000-1300 g were anesthetized, tracheotomized and ventilated with an oxygen-nitrous oxide mixture (FIO2 0.25). The manual ventilation lasted 30 min (period 1) and was followed by mechanical ventilation for 60 min (period 2). Thereafter, a left pneumothorax with constant pressure of 20 mbar and then 40 mbar for 15 min each was created (period 3). A fall in blood pressure was treated with 10 ml colloids in five of the six animals. During the experiment arterial blood pressure in the carotid artery, mean airway pressure at the distal end of the tracheal tube and end-tidal CO2 were continuously recorded. Arterial blood gases were analyzed at the end of each period. RESULTS. The tidal volumes delivered with an identical position of the bellows varied in ventilators NS and V2 with changes in FGF, RR and IE. Decrease in FGF, higher RR and longer expiration resulted in a decrease in the tidal volume. The "smallest" tidal volume delivered by NS varied from 50 ml (FGF 2 l/min, RR 60, IE 1:2) to 188 ml (FGF 4 l/min, RR 20, IE 1:1) and from 11 ml (FGF 2 l/min, RR 60, IE 1:2) to 110 (FGF 4 l/min, RR 20, IE 1:1) in the V2. The AV1 showed a minimal tidal volume of about 5 ml, and no changes in tidal volume attributable to alterations in FGF, RR or IE could be observed. No problems occurred during manual or mechanical ventilation in the piglets. With the experimental decrease in lung compliance no increase in airway pressure was noted, but an increase in arterial pCO2 by 8 mmHg (mean) reflects hypoventilation that was not corrected by the ventilator. DISCUSSION. We believe that the changes in tidal volume in ventilators NS and V2 are caused by adding FGF to the volume delivered by the below during inspiration. Because of the unpredictability of the tidal volumes, these ventilators are not suitable for the use in neonates. The AV1 has a very low systemic compliance which makes it suitable for use in neonatal anesthesia. However, a decrease in lung compliance is not compensated by an increase in airway pressure and leads to hypoventilation. When small tidal volumes are used in patients with low lung compliance, it does not act as expected of a volume-cycled ventilator.