Pulmonary Fast Space Measurement from Expired PCO₂ a Pulmonary Function Test Designed for Automation

Abstract

Sophisticated tests of pulmonary function are routinely carried out in the pulmonary function laboratory, but they are much harder to carry out on the intensive-care ward, where they may be even more important. There is a need for pulmonary function tests which are specifically designed for the hostile conditions of the ICU. This means that they must be easy to carry out and to automate, they must need almost no technical attention, they must be repeatable, and they must yield genuinely useful physiological information. Airway flow, volume, and PCO₂ are relatively easily measured, and can provide quantitative insight into pulmonary function.