A. Gyhra et al., EXPERIMENTAL FLAIL CHEST - VENTILATORY FUNCTION WITH FIXATION OF FLAIL SEGMENT IN INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL POSITION, The journal of trauma, injury, infection, and critical care, 40(6), 1996, pp. 977-979
The effect on ventilatory function of fixation of a flail segment in i
nternal (FIP) and external (FEP) position and oxygen administration wa
s studied in an experimental flail chest with pleural indemnity, Varia
tions of tidal volume (TV), respiratory rate (RR), minute volume (MV),
and arterial blood gases are reported, These parameters were measured
in nine dogs in control and flail conditions (FC). The effect of FIP,
FEP, and oxygen administration were studied. Results: Significant dif
ferences were found: TV decreased from control values to FC and from F
C to FIP, but increased from FC to FEP, RR values increased from contr
ol to FC and from FC to FIP, but decreased from FC to FEP, MV values d
ecreased from FC to FEP, TV, RR, and MV were not changed under oxygen
administration, Hypoxemia or hypercapnia mere not observed, It was con
cluded that FIP is deleterious for respiratory mechanics, whereas FEP
improves ventilatory parameters.