An evaluation of a new analyser for inhaled nitric oxide administration

We examined the ability of a new combined nitric oxide (NO)/nitrogen dioxide (NO2) electrochemical analyser (PrinterNOx, Micro Medical Limited, Chatham, Kent, England) to measure NO and NO2 concentrations. The PrinterNOx was compared to a chemiluminescence analyser (42H, Thermo Environmental Instruments Inc, Franklin MA, U.S.A.). NO and NO2 were generated in a standard ventilator circuit using a paediatric ventilator (900C, Siemens Elema, Sweden) connected to an artificial lung (260li, TTL Test Lung, Michigan Instruments, MI, U.S.A.). Forty-four paired NO measurements ranging from 2.56 ppm to 74.6 ppm and 50 paired NO2 measurements ranging from 0.0 ppm to 5.39 ppm were obtained. For the measurement of NO the PrinterNOx showed a tendency to overestimate the chemiluminescence analyser. Regression analysis showed a close relationship between the two analysers with r2 = 0.9981 and a regression equation of y = 1.1658 x +0.0197. In the more clinically important range of 0-25 ppm, r2 increased to 0.9996 with a regression equation of y = 1.1984 x -0.4657. Conversely the PrinterNOx underestimated the chemiluminescence analyser for the measurement of NO2. The regression equation describing this relationship was y = 0.879 x -0.0447 (r2 = 0.9993). We conclude that the PrinterNOx is of sufficient accuracy to be of clinical use in the administration of NO.