GE Healthcare VG-PS Ventilation - Manual (Page 2)

Mechanical ventilation for neonatal patients – supporting
life in its most fragile state – is uniquely challenging.
There is a fine line between help and hindrance. Improving
the quality of care requires increasing the accuracy,
synchrony, and versatility of respiratory assistance,
breath by breath.
GE Healthcare has developed an innovative and effective
solution for these exacting requirements. The Volume
Guarantee form of Pressure Support (VG-PS) is a new mode
of ventilation for the GE Healthcare Engström Carestation.
Designed for the specific needs of neonatal patients,
the VG-PS mode continuously adjusts the level of support
in response to the patient’s changing needs. It provides:
• Precise volume regulation during spontaneous and
mechanical ventilation
• Breath-to-breath adjustment of the inspiratory
pressure delivered
• Synchrony of both the inspiratory and expiratory
phase of a breath
• The ability to control the point at which mandatory
mechanical ventilation is initiated
Constant adjustment, consistent accuracy
The new VG-PS mode is responsive and adaptive to the
specific needs of each patient. Every breath delivered via
VG-PS is volume-guaranteed and pressure-regulated.
To deliver ventilation accurately, the Engström ventilator
first assesses the baby’s lung compliance against the
desired target volume. As the baby continues to breathe
spontaneously, the ventilator adjusts the pressure delivered,
breath to breath. The clinician can also use the neonatal
proximal flow sensor to further increase the accuracy of
monitoring and delivery of each breath delivered.
Synchrony with safety: the right help
at the right time
Precise synchronization of ventilation with the patient’s
needs keeps the baby comfortable while providing
lowest pressure required to deliver the desired volume.
A combination of comfort and consistency is offered
breath to breath.
VG-PS: Tailored to the Needs of Neonatal Patients
The VG-PS mode delivers synchrony in several innovative
ways. First, it allows for adjustment in the settings of how
the ventilator will start, deliver, and terminate breaths.
For example, the clinician can set the inspiratory trigger,
rise time, and end flow for all spontaneous breaths. This
allows the delivery of spontaneous breaths to be tailored
very precisely for each patient.
In addition, the “minimum rate setting” of the VG-PS
mode provides safety. For example, during the baby’s
first attempts at weaning from the ventilator, the
clinician can adjust the minimum rate setting. In the
event the baby begins to need assistance and their
respiratory rate is slowing, the Engström will initiate
ventilation at the point set by the clinician. The minimum
rate can also be set to stimulate a child who becomes
apneic. In this case a breath would be delivered to
stimulate spontaneous breathing.
The point at which breaths are initiated is regulated by
a combination of the minimum rate set by the clinician
and the baby’s own spontaneous respiratory rate. In
other words, mechanical ventilation begins only when
needed, and continues only as long as it’s needed.