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Nasopharyngeal tubes in pediatric anesthesia: Is the flow-dependent pressure drop across the tube suitable for calculating oropharyngeal pressure?

Paola PapoffTalitha RosiniSalvatore OlivaStefano LucianiFabio MidullaFrancesco Montecchia
Published in: Paediatric anaesthesia (2021)
During nasopharyngeal tube-assisted anesthesia, proximal airway pressure readings on the anesthetic monitoring machine overestimate oropharyngeal pressure especially for smaller-diameter nasopharyngeal tubes and higher flow, and to a lesser extent for large leaks. Given the importance of calculating oropharyngeal pressure in guiding nasopharyngeal tube ventilation in clinical practice, we propose an accurate calculation using Rohrer's equation method, or approximating oropharyngeal pressure from flow and pressure readings on the anesthetic machine using the ΔPNPT charts.
Keyphrases
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