[The indirect calorimeter, "do it yourself"].

An original metabolic calculator is realized with common and fiable transducers: a "microgaz Roche Kontron 7640" gives the PiO2-PeO2 and PeCO2 (Clark and Stow Severinghaus electrods), a pneumotachograph Gould 17212 (or the reliable integrated flow meter of the respirator) gives the expiratory minute volume. These values are inserted in an micro computer (Sharp PC 1261). The soft is wrote so that results are not altered when high FiO2 are used. Consumption of lipids and glucids is displayed in percentage when diuresis and urea values are entered. This device is compared with a well known expenditure monitor: Deltatrac (Datex): simultaneous measures are carried out in patients with miscellaneous diseases (15 series of 10 measures). Regression curves appear to be very reliable, as well for VO2(r = 0.98), VCO2 (r = 0.94) energy expenditure (0.97) as for R.Q (r = 0.77).