Anesthesia & Clinical Research
Open Access

Abstract

Preventing Extubation Failure by Monitoring Minute Ventilation with the ExSpiron 1Xi™

Jaideep H Mehta, Kayla Rohleder and David Amaro-Driedger

In the continuing care of postoperative patients who have been extubated, being able to monitor tidal volume and minute ventilation can provide objective criteria to identify respiratory depression and allow for earlier intervention. We present a morbidly obese female patient that was not extubated at the end of the case due to a low tidal volume detected by the anesthesia machine and a real-time non-invasive ventilation monitor that was being trialed for the procedure. This non-invasive ventilation monitor was subsequently useful in continuing to provide continuous information on the patient’s respiratory status to provide objective criteria for extubation and after a trial of extubation. Because of its ability to provide values for minute ventilation and tidal volume, rather than subjective criteria such as chest wall rise, this device may prove useful in the context of extubation trials and beyond.