Closed-Loop O2 Use During Invasive Mechanical Ventilation Of Pediatric Patients

During mechanical ventilation (MV) hypoxemic or hyperoxemic events should be carefully monitored and a quick response should be provided by the caregiver at the bedside. Pediatric mechanical ventilation consensus conference (PEMVECC) guidelines suggest to measure SpO2 in all ventilated children and furthermore to measure partial arterial oxygen pressure (PaO2) in moderate-to-severe disease. There were no predefined upper and lower limits for oxygenation in pediatric guidelines, however, Pediatric acute lung injury consensus conference PALICC guidelines proposed SpO2 between 92 - 97% when positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) is smaller than 10 cm H2O and SpO2 of 88 - 92% when PEEP is bigger or equal to 10 cm H2O. For healthy lung, PEMVECC proposed the SpO2\>95% when breathing a FiO2 of 21%. As a rule of thumb, the minimum fraction of inspired O2 (FiO2) to reach these targets should be used. A recent Meta-analyze showed that automated FiO2 adjustment provides a significant improvement of time in target saturations, reduces periods of hyperoxia, and severe hypoxia in preterm infants on positive pressure respiratory support. This study aims to compare the closed-loop FiO2 controller with conventional control of FiO2 during mechanical ventilation of pediatric patients