Information content of multiple inert gas elimination measurements

1987 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 861-868 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Kapitan ◽  
P. D. Wagner

The multiple inert gas elimination technique provides a fundamental assessment of the distribution of ventilation-perfusion (VA/Q) ratios in the lung. The resolution of the finer structure of this distribution is limited however. This study examines the theoretical basis of this limitation and presents an objective method for evaluating the independence of inert gas measurements. It demonstrates the linear dependence of the inert gas kernels and their filtering characteristics to be the factors most limiting information content. The limited number of gases available for measurement and experimental error are lesser limitations. At usual levels of experimental error, no more than seven different inert gases having partition coefficients between those of SF6 and acetone will provide independent information, and information content will be maximized by choosing gases with partition coefficients spaced equally on a logarithmic scale. A fivefold reduction in experimental error will not significantly alter the information content of the measurements. The analysis applies equally to other methods of multiple inert gas elimination data interpretation.

1983 ◽  
Vol 55 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. E. Stewart ◽  
S. M. Mastenbrook

A plot of measured retention-excretion ratios [(Ri/Ei)obs] vs. reciprocal solubility (1/lambda i) for selected inert gases allows quick detection of shunt and ventilation-perfusion (V/Q) inhomogeneity in the lung. We derive simple rules for constructing a smooth R/E function from the data, using a multicompartmental model of the lung. If mixed venous inert gas measurements are available, the values [lambda i(1-Ri)/Ei]obs for the infused gases can be used to estimate the overall VT/QT ratio and provide an additional test of the consistency of the data. For any set of equilibrium compartments ventilated and perfused in parallel, we show that d(R/E)/d(1/lambda) cannot be negative, nor can d2(R/E)/d(1/lambda)2 be greater than zero. A rectilinear R/E function implies a narrow distribution of V/Q among the gas exchange compartments, whereas a downward-concave curve implies a broader distribution. The shunt perfusion and dead-space ventilation can be estimated from the asymptotes of the R/E function. The range of V/Q for the gas exchange compartments can also be bracketed if a well-defined region of curvature is present in the graph. Finally, from the R/E vs. 1/lambda graph and (if mixed venous data are available) from the lambda(1-R)/E values, we can determine quickly whether the data deserve the detailed numerical analysis outlined in our companion paper.


1983 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 562-568 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Mertens

A general procedure for fitting compartments models of alveolar ventilation-perfusion ratio (VA/Q) distribution to inert gas elimination data is described. The method can be applied to any model consisting of a number of compartments ventilated and perfused in parallel, each compartment of the model having a fixed predetermined VA/Q ratio. The number of compartments and their VA/Q ratios required for adequately fitting real data have been examined. A 13-compartment model consisting of a shunt, a dead space, and 11 compartments equally spaced on a logarithmic scale from VA/Q of 0.01 to 100 was found to be suitable. The fitting procedure and the 13-compartment model form the basis of a method of analysis of inert gas elimination data. Essentially the method consists of calculating a sample of 30 distributions compatible with the data analyzed taking into account experimental errors in the inert gas measurements. From this sample, the averages and standard deviations of the flows to 13 zones on the VA/Q scale are estimated. The averages are estimates of the true flows to these zones, and the standard deviations give an indication of the range of flows compatible with the data. The method has some advantages over both the enforced-smoothing approach and the Monte Carlo linear programming scheme of Evans and Wagner (J. Appl. Physiol.: Respirat. Environ. Exercise Physiol. 42: 889-898, 1977).


1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 1621-1627 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Kapitan

Methods that recover a continuous distribution of specific ventilation (ventilation-to-volume ratio, VA/V) from the multibreath N2 washout curve theoretically can resolve up to four modes of ventilation and reveal the major characteristics of the underlying distribution if experimental error is absent. This paper quantitatively assesses the effects of experimental error on resolution. The washout curves from five typical distributions were studied using linear programming and Monte Carlo methods. A measurement error of 0.1% was assumed in the mixed-expired N2 signal. Only 7 of the first 17 breaths contribute independent information about the underlying distribution, and only rough resolution of the underlying distribution is possible in the presence of error. Only two modes of ventilation plus an estimate of dead space can be confidently resolved. It is not possible to separate VA/V greater than 10 from dead space. A 10-fold reduction in experimental error will not greatly improve resolution. Experimental error, by reducing the linear independence of the defining kernels, significantly limits the information content and resolution of the multibreath N2 washout.


1975 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 237-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Angelo Azzi

Fluorescence has been used in biochemical studies for many years but only recently has the information content and the practical applicability of the fluorescence method been fully realized.Following the early studies of Newton (1954) and Weber (11954) and after the initial utilization of fluorescent probes by Chance and coworkers (Azziet al.1969) and Tasakiet al.(1968), in the study of membranes, the use of fluorescence to provide structural information at microscopic or molecular levels in biological membranes has become widespread. widespread. The application of the fluorescence technique to biological systems has progressed parallel to the development of a theoretical basis for fluorescence data interpretation and the synthesis of a large number of fluorescent probes, organic molecules having fluorescence characteristics that are dependent on their environment.


1984 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. P. Hlastala

The understanding of pulmonary gas exchange has undergone several major advances since the early 1900‣s. One of the most significant was the development of the multiple inert gas elimination technique for assessing the ventilation-perfusion (VA/Q) distribution in the lung. By measuring the mixed venous, arterial, and mixed expired concentrations of six infused inert gases, it is possible to distinguish shunt, dead space, and the general pattern of VA/Q distribution. As with all mathematical models of complex biological phenomena, there are limitations that can result in errors of interpretation if the technique is applied uncritically. In addition, methodological limitations also can lead to both experimental error and errors of interpretation. Despite these limitations, the multiple inert gas elimination technique remains the most powerful tool developed to date to analyze pulmonary gas exchange.


1964 ◽  
Vol 19 (6) ◽  
pp. 1193-1198 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. W. Mapleson

When an inert gas of moderate or high solubility in blood is inhaled, the rate at which the alveolar concentration rises toward the inspired concentration increases as the inspired concentration is increased. The only previous systematic analysis of whole-body uptake of inert gases to allow for this effect was restricted to a single, artificial, respiratory pattern and the numerical calculations had to be made on a digital computer. This paper develops the theory for a range of respiratory patterns and shows how the computations may be made on a slightly modified form of a simple electric analogue. It is shown that the rate of saturation of the body increases less markedly with inspired concentration if the inspired alveolar ventilation, rather than the expired alveolar ventilation, is kept constant during the saturation process. Conversely, washout is more rapid with a constant inspired ventilation than with a constant expired ventilation. The theory is extended to show how the uptake of one inert gas may substantially affect the uptake of another, administered simultaneously. uptake, distribution and elimination; induction; recovery; drugs; inhaled anesthetics; nitrous oxide; diethyl ether; halothane; computers; ventilation; concentration effect; alveolar ventilation Submitted on February 13, 1964


1968 ◽  
Vol 46 (14) ◽  
pp. 2353-2360 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. N. Strachan ◽  
D. E. Thornton

Ketene has been photolyzed at 3660 and 3130 Å both alone and in the presence of the inert gases C4F8 and SF6. The quantum yield of carbon monoxide has been determined at both wavelengths as a function of pressure and temperature. At 3660 Å the quantum yield decreases with increasing pressure but increases with increasing temperature. At 3130 Å the quantum yield with ketene alone remains 2.0 at both 37 and 100 °C at pressures up to 250 mm. At higher pressures of ketene or with added inert gas the quantum yield decreases with increasing pressure. The results are interpreted in terms of a mechanism in which intersystem crossing from the excited singlet state to the triplet state occurs at both wavelengths, and collisional deactivation of the excited singlet state by ketene is single stage at 3660 Å but multistage at 3130 Å.


1982 ◽  
Vol 52 (3) ◽  
pp. 683-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. T. Robertson ◽  
R. L. Coffey ◽  
T. A. Standaert ◽  
W. E. Truog

Pulmonary gas exchange during high-frequency low-tidal volume ventilation (HFV) (10 Hz, 4.8 ml/kg) was compared with conventional ventilation (CV) and an identical inspired fresh gas flow in pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs. Comparing respiratory and infused inert gas exchange (Wagner et al., J. Appl. Physiol. 36: 585--599, 1974) during HFV and CV, the efficiency of oxygenation was not different, but the Bohr physiological dead space ratio was greater on HFV (61.5 +/- 2.2% vs. 50.6 +/- 1.4%). However, the elimination of the most soluble inert gas (acetone) was markedly enhanced by HFV. The increased elimination of the soluble infused inert gases during HFV compared with CV may be related to the extensive intraregional gas mixing that allows the conducting airways to serve as a capacitance for the soluble inert gases. Comparing as exchange during HFV with three different density carrier gases (He, N2, and Ar), the efficiency of elimination of Co2 or the intravenously infused inert gases was greatest with He-O2. However, the alveolar-arterial partial pressure difference for O2 on He-O2 exceeded that on N2-O2 by 5.4 Torr during HFV. The finding agrees with similar observations during CV, suggesting that this aspect of gas exchange is not substantially altered by HFV.


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