Heart-lung interactions during neurally adjusted ventilatory assist

Abstract

Introduction: Assist in unison to the patient's inspiratory neural effort and feedback-controlled limitation of lung distension with neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) may reduce the negative effects of mechanical ventilation on right ventricular function.

Methods: Heart-lung interaction was evaluated in 10 intubated patients with impaired cardiac function using esophageal balloons, pulmonary artery catheters and echocardiography. Adequate NAVA level identified by a titration procedure to breathing pattern (NAVAal), 50% NAVAal, and 200% NAVAal and adequate pressure support (PSVal, defined clinically), 50% PSVal, and 150% PSVal were implemented at constant positive end-expiratory pressure for 20 minutes each.

Results: NAVAal was 3.1 ± 1.1cmH2O/μV and PSVal was 17 ± 2 cmH20. For all NAVA levels negative esophageal pressure deflections were observed during inspiration whereas this pattern was reversed during PSVal and PSVhigh. As compared to expiration, inspiratory right ventricular outflow tract velocity time integral (surrogating stroke volume) was 103 ± 4%, 109 ± 5%, and 100 ± 4% for NAVAlow, NAVAal, and NAVAhigh and 101 ± 3%, 89 ± 6%, and 83 ± 9% for PSVlow, PSVal, and PSVhigh, respectively (p < 0.001 level-mode interaction, ANOVA). Right ventricular systolic isovolumetric pressure increased from 11.0 ± 4.6 mmHg at PSVlow to 14.0 ± 4.6 mmHg at PSVhigh but remained unchanged (11.5 ± 4.7 mmHg (NAVAlow) and 10.8 ± 4.2 mmHg (NAVAhigh), level-mode interaction p = 0.005). Both indicate progressive right ventricular outflow impedance with increasing pressure support ventilation (PSV), but no change with increasing NAVA level.

Conclusions: Right ventricular performance is less impaired during NAVA compared to PSV as used in this study. Proposed mechanisms are preservation of cyclic intrathoracic pressure changes characteristic of spontaneous breathing and limitation of right-ventricular outflow impedance during inspiration, regardless of the NAVA level.

Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00647361, registered 19 March 2008.

Figures

Figure 1

Schematic study protocol. After a baseline period of 30 minutes three levels of pressure support ventilation (PSV) and three levels of neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) were applied in random order. Adequate PSV (PSVal) was chosen by an independent intensivist using predefined clinical criteria, and adequate NAVA (NAVAal) using a titration procedure [6-9]. NAVAhigh, highest level with constant breathing pattern or a maximum 200% of NAVAal; NAVAlow, 50% of NAVAal; PSVhigh, 150% of PSVal; PSVlow, 50% of PSVal.

Figure 2

Breathing pattern and cyclic transmural pressure changes in an individual patient (Patient 8). Negative deflections in esophageal pressure (Pes) were preserved during inspiration with all neurally adjusted ventilatory assist (NAVA) levels, whereas Pes deflections were negative only with the lowest pressure support ventilation (PSV) level and progressively positive with the adequate PSV (PSVal) and the highest PSV level (PSVhigh). Transmural pressures were not much affected by ventilation with NAVA regardless of the assist level used, whereas the negative cyclic changes during inspiration increased with increasing PSV levels. Vertical grey bars indicate the inspiration (defined by airflow) of the corresponding breath. CVP, central venous pressure; EAdi, electrical activity of the diaphragm; NAVAal, adequate NAVA; NAVAhigh, highest level with constant breathing pattern or a maximum 200% of NAVAal; NAVAlow, 50% of NAVAal; PAP, pulmonary artery pressure; Paw, airway pressure; PSVhigh, 150% of PSVal; PSVlow, 50% of PSVal.

Figure 3

Loading conditions of the right ventricle in the average breath. Analysis of the single representative breath cycle. Central venous pressure was measured at the base of the c wave. (A) Inspiratory minus expiratory transmural central venous pressure (∆CVP), P = 0.015 for level and mode. (B) Inspiratory minus expiratory transmural isvolumetric pressure (∆isovolumetric pressure), P = 0.003 for support level–ventilation mode interaction. Values presented as mean ± standard deviation. NAVA, neurally adjusted ventilator assist; NAVAal, adequate NAVA level identified by a titration procedure; NAVAhigh, 200% of the adequate NAVA level; NAVAlow, 50% of the adequate NAVA level; Pes, esophageal pressure; PSV, pressure support ventilation; PSVal, adequate level of pressure support ventilation identified on clinical grounds; PSVhigh, 150% of adequate PSV level; PSVlow, 50% of adequate PSV level.

Figure 4

Right ventricular outflow during the respiratory cycle. The velocity time integral in the inspiratory right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT VTI) as a percentage of its expiratory value. There is a significant increase in RVOT VTI during inspiration for all NAVA levels compared to PSV (P < 0.001, level*mode interaction). Data presented as mean ± standard deviation. NAVA, neurally adjusted ventilator assist; NAVAal, adequate NAVA level identified by a titration procedure; NAVAhigh, 200% of the adequate NAVA level; NAVAlow, 50% of the adequate NAVA level; Pes, esophageal pressure; PSV, pressure support ventilation; PSVal, adequate level of pressure support ventilation identified on clinical grounds; PSVhigh, 150% of adequate PSV level; PSVlow, 50% of adequate PSV level.