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Pulse transit time as a measure of inspiratory effort in children

Jacopo Pagani1, Maria Pia Villa, Giovanni Calcagnini

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, II Faculty S. Andrea University of Rome La Sapienza, Italy. jacopo.pagan@uniroma1.it

Chest
|October 14, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Pulse transit time (PTT) offers a noninvasive method to measure inspiratory effort in children. This study found PTT variations correlate well with induced inspiratory effort, suggesting its utility in pediatric assessments.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric respiratory physiology
  • Noninvasive cardiovascular monitoring

Background:

  • Esophageal manometry, the standard for measuring inspiratory effort, is invasive and poorly tolerated by children.
  • Pulse transit time (PTT) is a noninvasive measure reflecting arterial blood pressure (BP) changes, where increased BP shortens PTT and decreased BP lengthens it.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential of PTT as a noninvasive method for assessing inspiratory effort in pediatric patients.
  • To evaluate the correlation between PTT variations and induced inspiratory effort in children.

Main Methods:

  • Studied 15 healthy children (ages 5-12).
  • Assessed PTT changes during breathing against applied nasal and oral resistances using a nonrebreathing facemask.
  • Measured PTT as the time for a pulse wave to travel between two arterial sites.

Main Results:

  • Demonstrated a good correlation between induced inspiratory effort and the amplitude of PTT variations in awake children.
  • Observed that changes in PTT reflect changes in inspiratory effort.

Conclusions:

  • Pulse transit time (PTT) shows promise as a valuable, noninvasive tool for quantifying inspiratory effort in children.
  • PTT can be used to assess inspiratory effort associated with increased upper airway resistance in awake pediatric subjects.
Abstract

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