RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Ventilator Add-On for Delivering PET Tracer Gases
JF Journal of Nuclear Medicine Technology
JO J. Nucl. Med. Technol.
FD Society of Nuclear Medicine
SP 79
OP 82
VO 32
IS 2
A1 Kaike K. Kaisti
A1 Jukka Mäkitalo
A1 Hannu T. Sipilä
A1 Mika I.P. Teräs
A1 Harry Scheinin
YR 2004
UL http://tech.snmjournals.org/content/32/2/79.abstract
AB Objectives: The increasing use of PET for assessing cerebral blood flow, oxygen metabolism, and blood volume in critically ill patients has created a need for reliable technical solutions for delivering 15O-tracer gases to mechanically ventilated subjects. Our objective was to create such a solution. Methods: We designed a ventilator add-on unit that enables complex functional brain studies using labeled oxygen and carbon monoxide gases as tracers. The unit manages both steady-state and bolus inhalations, and the latter can be manually initiated using a remote trigger. All parts conducting breathing gases can be sterilized. The unit can be operated during both spontaneous pressure support breathing and volume-controlled ventilation. It supports the standard safety features and alarms of the ventilator and includes an overflow valve in the bolus reservoir. Results: The count rate curves obtained using the new unit were similar to those from the standard bag-inhalation method. Conclusion: The unit we describe offers an economical and easily operated solution for providing uninterrupted ventilator treatment while performing PET brain studies, and the provided treatment meets intensive care criteria.