PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Wenzel, Christin
AU  - Schumann, Stefan
AU  - Spaeth, Johannes
TI  - Coaxial Tubing Systems Increase Artificial Airway Resistance and Work of Breathing
AID  - 10.4187/respcare.05426
DP  - 2017 Aug 14
TA  - Respiratory Care
PG  - respcare.05426
4099  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/early/2017/08/14/respcare.05426.short
4100  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/early/2017/08/14/respcare.05426.full
AB  - BACKGROUND: Tubing systems are an essential component of the ventilation circuit, connecting the ventilator to the patient’s airways. Coaxial tubing systems incorporate the inspiratory tube within the lumen of the expiratory one. We hypothesized that by design, these tubing systems increase resistance to air flow compared with conventional ones.METHODS: We investigated the flow-dependent pressure gradient across coaxial, conventional disposable, and conventional reusable tubing systems from 3 different manufacturers. Additionally, the additional work of breathing and perception of resistance during breathing through the different devices were determined in 18 healthy volunteers.RESULTS: The pressure gradient across coaxial tubing systems was up to 6 times higher compared with conventional ones (1.90 ± 0.03 cm H2O vs 0.34 ± 0.01 cm H2O, P < .001) and was higher during expiration compared with inspiration (P < .001). Additional work of breathing and perceived breathing resistance were highest in coaxial tubing systems, accordingly.CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the use of coaxial tubing systems should be carefully considered with respect to their increased resistance.