EVALUATION OF A FIBEROPTIC SYSTEM FOR AIRWAY PRESSURE MONITORING

Objective..Our objective was to evaluate the accuracy of a novel fiber optic system for airway pressure measurement at the carinal end of the endotracheal tube in an in vitro pediatric lung model. Methods. A fib eroptic pressure measuring system was compared to the conventional met hod of measuring airway pressure with a pneumatic transducer using a t est lung model. Pressure measurements were obtained using four endotra cheal tubes of various internal diameters (ID) (3 to 6 mm) during simu lated spontaneous and mechanical ventilation. Airway pressure was meas ured using both methods simultaneously and the results were compared b y statistical analysis. Results. Airway pressure measured by the fiber optic system was not significantly different from measurements obtaine d by the pneumatic transducer except when using the 3-mm and 4-mm ID e ndotracheal tubes during mechanical ventilation. Conclusions. We concl ude that the fiberoptic system provides accurate and precise measureme nt of airway pressure during spontaneous and mechanical ventilation. A dditionally, the statistically significant differences obtained for 3- and 4-mm tubes are not large enough to be clinically significant. The fiberoptic system offers advantages over the pneumatic system for mea suring the airway pressure. These advantages include decreased chance of false pressure measurement secondary to occlusion with water or muc ous, less chance of kinking, and, possibly, more rapid response to pre ssure changes due to the mechanical ventilator.