A New Computational Method for Detecting Leak Flow and Tidal Volume Waveforms During Spontaneous or Mandatory Breathing Assisted with Nasopharyngeal Ventilation

Nasopharyngeal ventilation (NPV) is a common technique used to support breathing, particularly when a patient’s respiration is inadequate, such as under sedation. It involves delivering oxygen through an endotracheal tube positioned above the glottis. Accurate tidal volume measurement is crucial for anesthesiologists, with the gold standard being a pneumotachograph. However, due to leakage from the mouth or mask, this method has limitations when applied to NPV. This study introduces a computational model that calculates respiratory flow in real time by accounting for leak flow. Results show that tidal volume measurements using this method are comparable to the gold standard, assuming the model’s assumptions hold true.