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Ventilation inhomogeneities assessed by the multibreath washout (MBW) technique

Philipp Latzin¹, Cindy Thamrin¹, Richard Kraemer²

¹ Division of Paediatric Respiratory Medicine, Department of Paediatrics, University of Berne, Inselspital, Berne, Switzerland
² Head of the Department of Paediatrics, University of Berne, Inselspital, Berne, Switzerland

Correspondence to:
Professor R Kraemer, Department of Paediatrics, University of Berne, Inselspital, 3010 Berne, Switzerland; richard.kraemer@insel.ch

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Intrapulmonary gas distribution and mixing is an important functional property of the lungs and can be characterised by the multibreath washout (MBW) technique. By computing indices from the entire washout curve, ventilation inhomogeneities can be characterised.^1–5 Developed in the late 1980s for use in children,^6–8 MBW measurements are taken during tidal breathing and have been used in infants^9–12 as well as preschool children.^{7 12 13} This technique is especially advantageous in the latter as only a few tests exist for measuring pulmonary function without active subject cooperation.

The MBW allows us to measure functional residual capacity (FRC_MBW), which can be used in combination with the plethysmographic intrathoracic gas volume (FRC_pleth) to determine the amount of trapped gas in the lungs (V_TG).^14–17 In addition, using the washout curve, different measures of ventilation inhomogeneity can be obtained. The lung clearance index (LCI) is defined as the number of lung volume turnovers . . . [Full text of this article]

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