Respiratory Monitoring

In the SICU, gas movement and gas exchange are the determinants of respiratory function.

Although performing formal pulmonary function tests before the onset of acute lung injury

might be valuable, formal pulmonary function testing is generally not possible in the

SICU. As optimal patient management requires information about current lung function,

the remaining discussion considers monitoring of gas flow and then gas exchange in the

SICU patient. Table 1 lists definitions and gives explanation of acronyms.