System and a corresponding method for estimating respiratory drive of mechanically ventilated patients

摘要

The present invention relates to a system (10) and a corresponding method for estimating the respiratory drive (R_DRIVE) of mechanically ventilated patients, and for preferably apportioning this respiratory drive into one, or more, components related to the chemical drive—i.e. the drive due to the chemoreceptor response—and/or the muscular drive—i.e. the contraction of respiratory muscles, for example the diaphragm. The principle of the invention is that respiratory drive can be obtained from measuring the patient's response to small changes in mechanical ventilation settings (Vt_SET), and that this can be apportioned into chemical and/or muscular effects depending upon the changes in respiratory frequency, and/or arterial or end tidal CO₂ levels, and/or arterial blood p H.