Breath by breath: the real science of gas exchange

Summary

A WFPICCS webinar by Dr Martin Kneyber on the physiology of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange in critically ill children, covering hypoventilation, shunt, diffusion limitation and V/Q mismatch, and distinguishing hypoxaemia from hypoxia. It translates this into ventilator management — tidal volume, rate, PEEP, FiO2 and mean airway pressure — plus oxygenation indices, dead space, permissive hypercapnia, prone positioning and PEEP titration.