Complications of Ventilator Therapy in Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Systemic Air Leak Syndrome in a Sick Full-Term Infant

“…Few authors have reported the combined incidence of all the air leak syndromes. [1][2][3] Yu and colleagues reported on air leaks as a group, where 11% of infants with respiratory distress syndrome developed interstitial emphysema, pneumoperitneum, pneumothorax, or pneumomediastinum. Although Thibeault and coworkers correctly considered interstitial emphysema, pneumothorax, and pneumomediastinum as a single pathological continuum, they did not cite an incidence.…”

Central Nervous System Air Embolism in Respiratory Distress Syndrome: Considerations for Patient Survival

“…However, with the introduction of ventilator therapy as a support modality for neonates with respiratory distress syndrome, iatrogenic barotrauma emerged as a major clinical concern for neonatologists and reports in the literature quickly established a relatively high frequency of such complications as pneumomediastinum, pneumothorax, and pneumopericardium. 3 Nevertheless, pulmonary venous air embolism (PVAE) has not been frequently identified in neonates, with only 38 individual patients having been cited in the English literature 4 since Gregory and Tooley's 5 initial report in 1970.…”

Dynamic Behaviour of the Chest and of the Abdomen in Anaesthetized Piglets During Rapid Insufflation

“…In obstructive lung disease expiratory time constants increase more than inspiratory time constants. High inspiratory pressures maintained throughout the inspiration will cause hyperinflation of lung regions with long expiratory time constants (Lindahl, Arborelius and Okmian, 1979) eventually leading to lung rupture (Kirkpatrick, Felman and Eitzman, 1974;Berg et al, 1975;Ogata et aL, 1976) unless long expiration times are used.…”