Helium-oxygen reduces the work of breathing during weaning from mechanical ventilatio

Completed

Conditions: Work of breathing during weaning from mechanical ventilation
Respiratory

Registration Number: ISRCTN56470948

Lead Sponsor: Barts and The London NHS Trust (UK)

Brief Summary: Not available

Detailed Description: Not available

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status: Completed

Sex: All

Target Recruitment: 24

Inclusion Criteria

1. General adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients
2. Both males and females, aged between 18 and 80
3. The underlying cause of respiratory failure was improving
4. Pressure support ventilation of less than 10 cm H2O
5. No continuous intravenous sedation or inotropes
6. FiO2 less than or equal to 0.4 and requiring less than 10 cm H2O positive end expiratory pressure
7. Written informed consent from the patient or assent from their next of kin was obtained

Exclusion Criteria

1. Failure to meet inclusion criteria
2. Inadequate analgesia
3. Pregnancy
4. Participation in other intervention trials in the past 30 days
5. Refusal of consent from the patient or assent from the next of kin

Study & Design

Study Type: Interventional

Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Work of breathing measured by carbon dioxide production.<br><br>Measurements were taken continuously but presented before starting CPAP and helium then 1 hour later then at 2 hours, patient then returned to pre-CPAP ventilator settings for 2 hours then back on CPAP with alternate gas mixture with readings taken continuously but presented at 1 and 2 hours.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
1. Respiratory rate<br>2. Pulse oximetry (SpO2) <br>3. Alveolar minute ventilation<br>4. Alveolar tidal volume <br>5. CO2 production <br>6. End tidal CO2 <br>7. Alveolar dead space (Vd/Vt) <br><br>Above measurements were taken continuously but presented before starting CPAP and helium then 1 hour later then at 2 hours, patient then returned to pre-CPAP ventilator settings for 2 hours then back on CPAP with alternate gas mixture with readings taken continuously but presented at 1 and 2 hours.