Drager: Lung Protection and Ventilation Strategy

Dräger has released v.1.12 of the PulmoVista 500® TIE (electrical impedance tomography) software with which it incorporates new lung viewing options that facilitate ventilation and lung protection. With PulmoVista 500®, health professionals can visualize regional distribution of air in the lungs non-invasively, in real time and from the head.
Among its benefits, PulmoVista 500® offers complete visualization of the ventilation cycle in real time. It allows users to observe the cycle continuously and directly in various lung regions, which facilitates the development of personalized treatment. The system can also achieve a ventilation strategy that provides lung protection, optimal adjustments of PEEP and tidal volume.
PulmoVista 500® allows an evaluation of the regional ventilation distribution and the changes that occur in the lung volumes at the end of expiration. The user can see the effects of therapeutic maneuvers and monitor results over time. With this information, health professionals can determine the best possible distribution of air in the lungs and remain informed about the effects that certain disorders, such as atelectasis, hyperdistention, air trapping, pleural effusion or ventilation, may have on breathing.
Users of PulmoVista 500® can monitor lung function for up to 24 hours straight, directly at the patient’s bedside. To do this, a flexible silicone belt with 16 electrodes around the patient’s chest is easily placed and connected to the system to avoid invasive or stressful maneuvers, ionizing radiation or having to transfer the patient to another specialized room.
PulmoVista 500® also generates regional and global impedance parameters and curves in real time. It provides a view of the trends of ventilation distribution and changes in lung volumes at the end of expiration, which allows the user to compare the current state of the lungs with historical data. Its Diagnostic view facilitates a practical analysis of the distribution of ventilation, changes in regional distensibility (CW, CL) and delays in regional ventilation (RVD), so it is especially useful when evaluating therapeutic interventions, such as PEEP tests.