Respiratory monitoring of the infant in anaesthesia and intensive care.

Respiratory monitoring of children during general anaesthesia and critical care is in its early stages. Acquisition of physical information remains of great importance because of the difficulties in obtaining specific and objective data from paediatric patients. Many of the obstacles presented by them, such as small and rapid respiration, lack of patient cooperation, use of an uncuffed tracheal tube and relatively higher airway humidity to keep the small airway patent, have been overcome recently by sophisticated technology based on well known principles and thoughtful use of computers. It is now possible to monitor and apply many pulmonary function tests at the bedside that were once confined to the laboratory.