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Updated: Oct 24, 2025

Monitoring Lung Function with Electrical Impedance Tomography in the Intensive Care Unit
Published on: September 6, 2024
Ventilation Monitoring
1Department of Anesthesiology, Baylor University Medical Center, Baylor Scott and White Health Care, 3500 Gaston Avenue, Dallas, TX 75246, USA.
Abstract:
Ventilation or breathing is vital for life yet is not well monitored in hospital or at home. Respiratory rate is a neglected vital sign and tidal volumes together with breath sounds are checked infrequently in many patients. Medications with the potential to depress ventilation are frequently administered, and may be accentuated by obesity causing airway obstruction in the form of sleep apnea. Sepsis may adversely affect ventilation by causing an increase in respiratory rate, often a very early sign of infection. Changes in ventilation may be early signs of deterioration in the patient.
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