A mathematical model approach quantifying patients' response to changes in mechanical ventilation: evaluation in volume support.

This paper presents a mathematical model-approach to describe and quantify patient-response to changes in ventilator support. The approach accounts for changes in metabolism (V̇O2, V̇CO2) and serial dead space (VD), and integrates six physiological models of: pulmonary gas-exchange; acid-base chemistry of blood, and cerebrospinal fluid; chemoreflex respiratory-drive; ventilation; and degree of patients' respiratory muscle-response. The approach was evaluated with data from 12 patients on volume support ventilation mode. The models were tuned to baseline measurements of respiratory gases, ventilation, arterial acid-base status, and metabolism. Clinical measurements and model simulated values were compared at five ventilator support levels. The models were shown to adequately describe data in all patients (χ(2), p > 0.2) accounting for changes in V̇CO2, VD and inadequate respiratory muscle-response. F-ratio tests showed that this approach provides a significantly better (p < 0.001) description of measured data than: (a) a similar model omitting the degree of respiratory muscle-response; and (b) a model of constant alveolar ventilation. The approach may help predict patients' response to changes in ventilator support at the bedside.