Fu Y, Zou R, Wang S, Wen J, Rong L, Tang M, Yu B, Cen F, Zhao Z, Frerichs I, Adler A, Liu Y, Liu L. Monitoring bronchoalveolar lavage with electrical impedance tomography: first experience in a patient with COVID-19.
Physiol Meas 2020;
41:085008. [PMID:
32736369 DOI:
10.1088/1361-6579/abab1b]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE
Patients with the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) often have airway secretions that severely compromise ventilation. This study investigates electrical impedance tomography (EIT) monitoring of a therapeutic bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) in a patient with COVID-19.
APPROACH
A patient with COVID-19 developed acute respiratory distress syndrome requiring mechanical ventilation. He received regional BAL to remove mucus in the small airways (20 ml × 5). Regional ventilation changes before BAL, 30 min after and in the following days, were monitored with EIT.
MAIN RESULTS
Regional ventilation worsened shortly after BAL and improved in the following days. The improvement of the oxygenation did not exactly match the ventilation improvement, which indicated a possible ventilation/perfusion mismatch.
SIGNIFICANCE
Therapeutic BAL might improve regional ventilation for COVID-19 and EIT could be a useful tool at the bedside to monitor the ventilation treatment of COVID-19.
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