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Reaction Time Course During Weaning from Respirator Treatment
Author(s) -
Elsass P.,
Christensen S. E.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
acta anaesthesiologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.738
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1399-6576
pISSN - 0001-5172
DOI - 10.1111/j.1399-6576.1984.tb02086.x
Subject(s) - respirator , medicine , weaning , arterial blood , anesthesia , ventilation (architecture) , mental fatigue , mechanical ventilation , mechanical engineering , clinical psychology , materials science , engineering , composite material
Ten patients who developed disturbed mental function during respirator weaning were studied. They were investigated during respirator treatment and 1 h after start of spontaneous ventilation with continuous reaction time measurements and clinical ratings. During the spontaneous ventilation the reaction times increased and the patients experienced fatigue. Paco2 was higher and Pao2 was lower than during respirator treatment. A significant correlation was found between individual differences of reaction times and arterial blood gas levels in the two conditions, whereas no general correlation between reaction times and arterial blood gas levels could be established. The findings must be considered tentative, but the results of this study indicate the value of continuous reaction time measurements for quantitative assessment of mental status during respirator treatment.