The Inspired Sinewave Technique: A Comparison Study With Body Plethysmography in Healthy Volunteers

Simulation-based optimisation to quantify heterogeneity of specific ventilation and perfusion in the lung by the Inspired Sinewave Test

The degree of specific ventilatory heterogeneity (spatial unevenness of ventilation) of the lung is a useful marker of early structural lung changes which has the potential to detect early-onset disease. The Inspired Sinewave Test (IST) is an established noninvasive 'gas-distribution' type of respiratory test capable of measuring the cardiopulmonary parameters. We developed a simulation-based optimisation for the IST, with a simulation of a realistic heterogeneous lung, namely a lognormal distribution of spatial ventilation and perfusion. We tested this method in datasets from 13 anaesthetised pigs (pre and post-lung injury) and 104 human subjects (32 healthy and 72 COPD subjects). The 72 COPD subjects were classified into four COPD phenotypes based on 'GOLD' classification. This method allowed IST to identify and quantify heterogeneity of both ventilation and perfusion, permitting diagnostic distinction between health and disease states. In healthy volunteers, we show a linear relationship between the ventilatory heterogeneity versus age ([Formula: see text]). In a mechanically ventilated pig, IST ventilatory heterogeneity in noninjured and injured lungs was significantly different (p < 0.0001). Additionally, measured indices could accurately identify patients with COPD (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.76, p < 0.0001). The IST also could distinguish different phenotypes of COPD with 73% agreement with spirometry.

A tidal lung simulation to quantify lung heterogeneity with the Inspired Sinewave Test

We have created a lung simulation to quantify lung heterogeneity from the results of the inspired sinewave test (IST). The IST is a lung function test that is non-invasive, non-ionising and does not require patients' cooperation. A tidal lung simulation is developed to assess this test and also a method is proposed to calculate lung heterogeneity from IST results. A sensitivity analysis based on the Morris method and linear regression were applied to verify and to validate the simulation. Additionally, simulated emphysema and pulmonary embolism conditions were created using the simulation to assess the ability of the IST to identify these conditions. Experimental data from five pigs (pre-injured vs injured) were used for validation. This paper contributes to the development of the IST. Firstly, our sensitivity analysis reveals that the IST is highly accurate with an underestimation of about 5% of the simulated values. Sensitivity analysis suggested that both instability in tidal volume and extreme expiratory flow coefficients during the test cause random errors in the IST results. Secondly, the ratios of IST results obtained at two tracer gas oscillation frequencies can identify lung heterogeneity (ELV₆₀/ELV₁₈₀ and Qp₆₀/Qp₁₈₀). There was dissimilarity between simulated emphysema and pulmonary embolism (p < 0.0001). In the animal model, the control group had ELV₆₀/ELV₁₈₀ = 0.58 compared with 0.39 in injured animals (p < 0.0001).

Lung heterogeneity and deadspace volume in acute respiratory distress syndrome animals using the inspired sinewave test

The acute respiratory distress syndrome is associated with a high rate of morbidity and mortality, as patients undergoing mechanical ventilation are at risk of ventilator-induced lung injuries.

OBJECTIVE

To measure the lung heterogeneity and deadspace volume to find safer ventilator strategies. Then, the ventilator settings could offer homogeneous ventilation and theoretically equalise and reduce tidal strain/stress in the lung parenchyma.

APPROACH

The Inspired Sinewave Test (IST) is a non-invasive lung measurement tool, which does not require patients' cooperation. The IST can measure the effective lung volume, pulmonary blood flow and deadspace volume. We developed a computational simulation of the cardiopulmonary system to allow lung heterogeneity to be quantified using data solely derived from the IST. Then, the method to quantify lung heterogeneity using two IST tracer gas frequencies (180s and 60s) was introduced and experimented in the simulation lungs and in animal models. Thirteen anaesthetised pigs were studied with the IST, both before and after experimental lung injury (saline-lavage ARDS model). The deadspace volume is compared between IST and the SF_{6} Washout method.

RESULTS

The IST could measure the lung heterogeneity using two frequencies tracer gases. Furthermore, the value of IST ventilation heterogeneity in ARDS lungs were higher than in control lungs at PEEP 10cmH_{2}O (AuC=0.85, p<0.001). Deadspace volume values measured by the IST has a strong relationship with the measured values of the SF_{6} (9mL bias and limits of agreement from -79mL to 57mL in control animals).

SIGNIFICANCE

the potential impact of the IST technique in the identification of ventilation and perfusion heterogeneity during ventilator support.

Validating the inspired sinewave technique to measure the volume of the 'baby lung' in a porcine lung-injury model

BACKGROUND

Bedside lung volume measurement could personalise ventilation and reduce driving pressure in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We investigated a modified gas-dilution method, the inspired sinewave technique (IST), to measure the effective lung volume (ELV) in pigs with uninjured lungs and in an ARDS model.

METHODS

Anaesthetised mechanically ventilated pigs were studied before and after surfactant depletion by saline lavage. Changes in PEEP were used to change ELV. Paired measurements of absolute ELV were taken with IST (ELV_IST) and compared with gold-standard measures (sulphur hexafluoride wash in/washout [ELV_SF6] and computed tomography (CT) [ELV_CT]). Measured volumes were used to calculate changes in ELV (ΔELV) between PEEP levels for each method (ΔELV_IST, ΔELV_SF6, and ΔELV_CT).

RESULTS

The coefficient of variation was <5% for repeated ELV_IST measurements (n=13 pigs). There was a strong linear relationship between ELV_IST and ELV_SF6 in uninjured lungs (r²=0.97), and with both ELV_SF6 and ELV_CT in the ARDS model (r²=0.87 and 0.92, respectively). ELV_IST had a mean bias of -12 to 13% (95% limits=±17 - 25%) compared with ELV_SF6 and ELV_CT. ΔELV_IST was concordant with ΔELV_SF6 and ΔELV_CT in 98-100% of measurements, and had a mean bias of -73 to -77 ml (95% limits=±128 - 186 ml) compared with ΔELV_SF6 and -1 ml (95% limits ±333 ml) compared with ΔELV_CT.

CONCLUSIONS

IST provides a repeatable measure of absolute ELV and shows minimal bias when tracking PEEP-induced changes in lung volume compared with CT in a saline-lavage model of ARDS.