Relationship between pulmonary oxygen consumption, lung inflammation, and calculated venous admixture in patients with acute lung injury

Perioperative estimations of oxygen consumption from LiDCO™plus-derived cardiac output and Ca-cvO2 difference: Relationship with measurements by indirect calorimetry in elderly patients undergoing major abdominal surgery

BACKGROUND

Feasible estimations of perioperative changes in oxygen consumption (VO2) could enable larger studies of its role in postoperative outcomes. Current methods, either by reverse Fick calculations using pulmonary artery catheterisation or metabolic by breathing gas analysis, are often deemed too invasive or technically requiring. In addition, reverse Fick calculations report generally lower values of oxygen consumption.

METHODS

We investigated the relationship between perioperative estimations of VO2 (EVO2), from LiDCO™plus-derived (LiDCO Ltd, Cambridge, UK) cardiac output and arterial-central venous oxygen content difference (Ca-cvO2), with indirect calorimetry (GVO2) by QuarkRMR (COSMED srl. Italy), using data collected 2017-2018 during a prospective observational study on perioperative oxygen transport in 20 patients >65 years during epidural and general anaesthesia for open pancreatic or liver resection surgery. Eighty-five simultaneous intra- and postoperative measurements at different perioperative stages were analysed for prediction, parallelity and by traditional agreement assessment.

RESULTS

Unadjusted bias between GVO2 and EVO2 indexed for body surface area was 26 (95% CI 20 to 32) with limits of agreement (1.96SD) of -32 to 85 ml min-1m-2. Correlation adjusted for the bias was moderate, intraclass coefficient(A,1) 0.51(95% CI 0.34 to 0.65) [F (84,84) = 3.07, P<0.001]. There was an overall association between GVO2 and EVO2, in a random coefficient model [GVO2 = 73(95% CI 62 to 83) + 0.45(95% CI 0.29 to 0.61) EVO2 ml min-1m-2, P<0.0001]. GVO2 and EVO2 changed in parallel intra- and postoperatively when normalised to their respective overall means.

CONCLUSION

Based on this data, estimations from LiDCO™plus-derived cardiac output and Ca-cvO2 are not reliable as a surrogate for perioperative VO2. Results were in line with previous studies comparing Fick-based and metabolic measurements but limited by variability of data and possible underpowering. The parallelity at different perioperative stages and the prediction model can provide useful guidance and methodological tools for future studies on similar methods in larger samples.

Modeling lung perfusion abnormalities to explain early COVID-19 hypoxemia

Early stages of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) are associated with silent hypoxia and poor oxygenation despite relatively minor parenchymal involvement. Although speculated that such paradoxical findings may be explained by impaired hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in infected lung regions, no studies have determined whether such extreme degrees of perfusion redistribution are physiologically plausible, and increasing attention is directed towards thrombotic microembolism as the underlying cause of hypoxemia. Herein, a mathematical model demonstrates that the large amount of pulmonary venous admixture observed in patients with early COVID-19 can be reasonably explained by a combination of pulmonary embolism, ventilation-perfusion mismatching in the noninjured lung, and normal perfusion of the relatively small fraction of injured lung. Although underlying perfusion heterogeneity exacerbates existing shunt and ventilation-perfusion mismatch in the model, the reported hypoxemia severity in early COVID-19 patients is not replicated without either extensive perfusion defects, severe ventilation-perfusion mismatch, or hyperperfusion of nonoxygenated regions.

Central and Mixed Venous O2 Saturation

Mixed and central venous oxygen saturations are commonly used to ascertain the degree of systemic oxygenation in critically ill patients. This review examines the physiological basis for the use of these variables to determine systemic extraction ration, oxygen consumption and tissue oxygenation, and also understand the role they may play in the early treatment of septic individuals.

Measurement of Oxygen Consumption Variations in Critically Ill Burns Patients: Are the Fick Method and Indirect Calorimetry Interchangeable?

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the interchangeability of oxygen consumption variations measured with the Fick equation (ΔVO2Fick) and indirect calorimetry (ΔVO2Haldane) in critically ill burns patients.

METHODS

Prospective observational single-center study conducted in a university hospital. Twenty-two consecutive burns patients with circulatory insufficiency and hyperlactatemia (>2 mmol/L) who required a fluid challenge (FC) were included. All patients had cardiac output monitoring (transpulmonary thermodilution technique) and were ventilated and sedated. Simultaneous measurements of VO2Fick and VO2Haldane were performed before and immediately after the FC, at rest, and in hemodynamic conditions stabilized for at least 1 h. VO2Fick and VO2Haldane were measured, respectively, with the standard formulae (using arterial and central venous saturation measured with a blood gas analyzer) and with a metabolic monitor.

RESULTS

Forty-four paired measurements of VO2 were obtained. At each timepoint, the median (interquartile range, 25-75) VO2Haldane values were significantly higher than the median VO2Fick values (126 (103-192) vs. 90 (66-149) mL O2/min/m (P = 0.004) before FC and 129 (105-189) vs. 80 (54-119) mL O2/min/m (P = 0.001) after FC). Correlation between the ΔVO2Fick and the ΔVO2Haldane (%) measurements was poor, with an r = 0.06, (P = 0.77). The mean bias was 8.6% [limits of agreement (LOA): -75.7%, 92.9%].

CONCLUSIONS

Analysis of agreement showed poor concordance for the ΔVO2Haldane and the ΔVO2Fick (%) with a low mean bias but large and clinically unacceptable LOA. ΔVO2Haldane and ΔVO2Fick (%) are not interchangeable in these conditions.

[Hemorrhagic shock]

Hemorrhagic shock is a condition produced by rapid and significant loss of blood which lead to hemodynamic instability, decreases in oxygen delivery, decreased tissue perfusion, cellular hypoxia, organ damage and can be rapidly fatal. Despite improved understanding of the pathophysiology and significant advances in technology, it remains a serious problem associated with high morbidity and mortality. Early treatment is essential but is hampered by the fact that signs and symptoms of shock appear only after the state of shock is well establish and the compensatory mechanisms have started to fail. The primary goal is to stop the bleeding and restore the intravascular volume. This review addresses the pathophysiology and treatment of haemorrhagic shock.

Novel insights into the aetiology and pathophysiology of increased airway inflammation during COPD exacerbations

Airway inflammation increases during acute exacerbations of COPD. Extrinsic factors, such as airway infections, increased air pollution, and intrinsic factors, such as increased oxidative stress and altered immunity may contribute to this increase. The evidence for this and the potential mechanisms by which various aetiological agents increase inflammation during COPD exacerbations is reviewed. The pathophysiologic consequences of increased airway inflammation during COPD exacerbations are also discussed. This review aims to establish a cause and effect relationship between etiological factors of increased airway inflammation and COPD exacerbations based on recently published data. Although it can be speculated that reducing inflammation may prevent and/or treat COPD exacerbations, the existing anti-inflammatory treatments are modestly effective.

Clinical review: hemorrhagic shock

This review addresses the pathophysiology and treatment of hemorrhagic shock – a condition produced by rapid and significant loss of intravascular volume, which may lead sequentially to hemodynamic instability, decreases in oxygen delivery, decreased tissue perfusion, cellular hypoxia, organ damage, and death. Hemorrhagic shock can be rapidly fatal. The primary goals are to stop the bleeding and to restore circulating blood volume. Resuscitation may well depend on the estimated severity of hemorrhage. It now appears that patients with moderate hypotension from bleeding may benefit by delaying massive fluid resuscitation until they reach a definitive care facility. On the other hand, the use of intravenous fluids, crystalloids or colloids, and blood products can be life saving in those patients who are in severe hemorrhagic shock. The optimal method of resuscitation has not been clearly established. A hemoglobin level of 7–8 g/dl appears to be an appropriate threshold for transfusion in critically ill patients with no evidence of tissue hypoxia. However, maintaining a higher hemoglobin level of 10 g/dl is a reasonable goal in actively bleeding patients, the elderly, or individuals who are at risk for myocardial infarction. Moreover, hemoglobin concentration should not be the only therapeutic guide in actively bleeding patients. Instead, therapy should be aimed at restoring intravascular volume and adequate hemodynamic parameters.

Accuracy of feedback-controlled oxygen delivery into a closed anaesthesia circuit for measurement of oxygen consumption

BACKGROUND

Oxygen consumption (V*O2) is rarely measured during anaesthesia, probably because of technical difficulties. Theoretically, oxygen delivery into a closed anaesthesia circuit (V*O2-PF; PhysioFlex Draeger Medical Company, Germany) should measure V*O2. We aimed to measure V*O2-PF in vitro and in vivo.

METHODS

Three sets of experiments were performed. V*O2-PF was assessed with five values of V*O2 (0-300 ml min(-1)) simulated by a calibrated lung model (V*O2-Model) at five values of FIO2 (0.25-0.85). The time taken for V*O2-PF to respond to changes in V*O2-Model gave a measure of dynamic performance. In six healthy anaesthetized dogs we compared V*O2-PF with V*O2 measured by the Fick method (V*O2-Fick) during ventilation with nine values of FIO2 (0.21-1.00). V*O2-PF and V*O2-Fick were also compared in three dogs when V*O2 was changed pharmacologically [102 (SD 14), 121 (17) and 200 (57) ml min(-1)]. In patients during surgery, we measured V*O2-PF and V*O2-Fick simultaneously after induction of anaesthesia (n=21) and during surgery (n=17) (FIO2 0.3-0.5).

RESULTS

Compared with V*O2-Model, V*O2-PF values varied from time to time so that averaging over 10 min is recommended. Furthermore, at an FIO2 >0.8, V*O2-PF always overestimated V*O2. With FIO2 <0.8, averaged V*O2-PF corresponded to V*O2-Model and adapted rapidly to changes. Averaged V*O2-PF also corresponded to V*O2-Fick in dogs at FIO2 <0.8. V*O2 measured by the two methods gave similar results when V*O2 was changed pharmacologically. In contrast, V*O2-PF systematically overestimated V*O2-Fick in patients by 52 (SD 40) ml min-1 and this bias increased with smaller arteriovenous differences in oxygen content.

CONCLUSION

V*O2-PF measures V*O2 adequately within specific conditions.

Oxygen consumption in the early postinjury period: use of continuous, on-line indirect calorimetry

OBJECTIVE

To determine the patterns of oxygen consumption (Vo2) using indirect calorimetry (IC) for the first 24 hrs after serious blunt traumatic injury.

DESIGN

Prospective, observational study.

SETTING

Surgical intensive care unit of a Level 1 trauma center.

PATIENTS

Sixty-six mechanically ventilated patients with blunt traumatic injury and Injury Severity Score >15.

INTERVENTIONS

IC for 24 hrs postinjury. Patients were resuscitated to standard parameters of perfusion.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Mean patient age was 50.1+/-18.7 yrs with a mean Injury Severity Score 30.7+/-11.3). Mean Vo2 for all patients for the 24-hr study period was 168.5+/-29.5 mL/min/m2. The level of Vo2 was not related to Injury Severity Score, the number or combination of organ systems injured, or to the use of vasoactive agents. Patients >65 yrs of age had significantly lower Vo2 (P = .0038) compared with patients < or =50 yrs. Vo2 did not change over time after resuscitation to normal parameters of perfusion. Mean Vo2 was 156.5+/-63.2 mL/min/m2 in patients who developed multiple organ dysfunction, and 172.4+/-33.3 mL/min/m2 in those who did not develop multiple organ dysfunction (p = .16).

CONCLUSIONS

Seriously injured patients are hypermetabolic in the early postinjury period. The level of Vo2 is unrelated to injury severity or number of organ systems involved. Elderly patients can be expected to have lower levels of Vo2. Vo2 does not change significantly in response to resuscitation to normal parameters of perfusion. Vo2 measured by IC did not predict the development of multiple organ dysfunction.

Increased intrapulmonary oxygen consumption in mechanically ventilated patients with pneumonia

Pulmonary oxygen consumption (V(O2)pulm) is believed to be increased in patients with lung infection. In the present study, VO2pulm was estimated from the difference between total oxygen consumption measured with indirect calorimetry (V(O2)cal) and oxygen consumption assessed with the reverse Fick method (V(O2)Fick). Seventy-five patients requiring mechanical ventilation were included, and were divided for analysis into two groups according to the existence (n = 41) or absence (n = 34) of pneumonia. V(O2)pulm was correlated with various parameters of impaired lung function. To assess the metabolic function of the lung, the differences in lactate and glucose concentrations at different arterial-mixed venous concentrations were determined and transpulmonary lactate flux as well as glucose flux was calculated. As compared with V(O2)pulm in patients without pneumonia (19.4 +/- 1.2 ml/ min/m2), V(O2)pulm was significantly increased in patients with pneumonia (50.7 +/- 1.7 ml/min/m2 (p < 0.001). For intrapatient measurements of V(O2)pulm, a sufficient reproducibility was achieved. V(O2)pulm increased with the lung injury score, number of afflicted lobes, venous admixture, the transpulmonary lactate flux, and the transpulmonary glucose flux, respectively. We speculate that the increased V(O2)pulm of infected lungs is due to different mechanisms, including increased oxidative metabolism by essentially extrapulmonary structures such as neutrophils and macrophages, as well as by changes in the metabolic function of lung tissue itself.

A comparison between the Fick method and indirect calorimetry for determining oxygen consumption in patients with fulminant hepatic failure

OBJECTIVE

To compare the Fick method of determining oxygen consumption (VO2) with a gas exchange method in a group of patients in whom the cardiac output and mixed venous oxygen saturation values were consistently high.

DESIGN

A prospective, observational study.

SETTING

A ten-bed intensive therapy unit at a university teaching hospital.

PATIENTS

Seventeen patients suffering from fulminant hepatic failure who required ventilatory support and invasive hemodynamic monitoring. All patients were sedated and paralyzed throughout the study period.

INTERVENTIONS

None.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

VO2 was determined simultaneously by indirect calorimetry and by the Fick method five or six times in each patient over a 5-hr period after resuscitation with fluids and, if clinically indicated, norepinephrine infusion. The agreement between the methods was poor (limits of agreement +19 to -101 mL/min/m2) and the Fick method consistently underestimated gas exchange measurements (mean bias 41 mL/min/m2). The bias varied widely, both between and within individual patients. The reproducibility of the Fick-derived VO2 was worse than the indirect calorimetry measurements, indicating that the dispersion of data attributable to measurement error was greater with the Fick method.

CONCLUSIONS

Under clinical conditions, the agreement between Fick calculations and indirect calorimetry measurements of VO2 in hyperdynamic patients with fulminant hepatic failure was extremely poor. The reproducibility of Fick calculations was less than the reproducibility derived by gas exchange measurements because of the large measurement errors that may occur with the Fick method when the cardiac output is large and the arterial-venous oxygen content difference is small. Fick calculations systematically underestimate gas exchange measurements. The Fick method is inaccurate and unreliable when an estimation of VO2 is required in patients with this hemodynamic pattern.

Calculated versus measured oxygen consumption during and after cardiac surgery. Is it possible to estimate lung oxygen consumption?

BACKGROUND

Lung tissue is metabolically active and consumes oxygen. The oxygen content difference between arterial and mixed venous blood does not include the effect of pulmonary tissue oxygen uptake. Thus, oxygen consumption (VO2) of the lung should be reflected as a difference between VO2 measured by gas exchange and VO2 derived by the Fick principle. The purpose of this study was to measure in clinical conditions this difference (taken to represent the VO2 of the lung), and to evaluate the sources of error in lung VO2 estimation.

METHODS

Nine patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting were studied. VO2 was measured by indirect calorimetry (VO2gasex) and compared to Fick-derived VO2 (VO2Fick) after induction of anaesthesia, after closure of the chest, at admission to intensive care, after stabilization of haemodynamics and during weaning from mechanical ventilation. The Fick-derived VO2 was calculated from blood samples taken at the beginning and at the end of each 20 min measurement period, and the mean of 12 consecutive thermodilution cardiac output measurements taken during each 20 min measurement period.

RESULTS

VO2gasex was higher than VO2Fick (P < 0.01; in all except 4 of 45 measurements). The difference between the measured and the calculated VO2 was 33 +/- 25 ml/min (mean +/- SD, range -16-100 ml/min). This difference represented 14 +/- 3% (range 11-18%) of the whole body VO2. The VO2-difference was highest after the induction of anaesthesia (50 +/- 19 ml/min; range 20-41 ml/min, P < 0.03) and lowest on arrival at the intensive care unit (10 +/- 16 ml/min; range -16-39 ml/min). Core temperature did not correlate with the oxygen consumption difference.

CONCLUSIONS

A constant difference between measured and calculated VO2 can be detected in carefully controlled clinical conditions. The difference between the two methods is due to both lung oxygen consumption and errors in the measurement of VO2 thermodilution cardiac output, haemoglobin and blood oxygen contents. We suggest that the perioperative changes of the VO2-difference are due not only to variation of the measurements but also to changes in lung metabolic activity.