Abstract: A skin protection mount protects the skin surface of a subject from damage that can result from repeated attachment and detachment of transcutaneous sensors connected to the skin of a subject with adhesive. The skin protection mount preferably has a thickness of five mils or less, to provide increased flexibility and increase subject comfort. Preferably, the skin protection mount has adhesive on the side attached to the subject, and lacks adhesive on the opposite side in order to facilitate attachment to and detachment from a skin protection mount of a transcutaneous sensor having an adhesive zing with an adhesion surface. In a preferred embodiment, the mounting surface of the skin protection mount has a surface area larger than the adhesion surface to protect the subject's skin from the adhesion surface. The adhesive force between the skin protection mount and the patient is greater than the adhesive force between the skin protection mount and the adhesion surface of the adhesive ring.

Abstract: An apparatus and method for controlled flow sampling from the airway includes a mouthpiece, or a connector attached to a tube inserted in the subject's trachea, either of which is used to capture gases from the subject's airway. Attached to the mouthpiece or the connector is a total airway occlusion. A pump or vacuum source, maintained at a lower pressure than the pressure inside the airway, is connected to the total airway occlusion, pulling gas out of the airway independent of the subject's volition. The flow is maintained at a substantially constant rate chosen by the operator through control over the source of low pressure. As gases flow out of the airway, they flow through a gas analyzer which measures desired properties of the gas.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for ventilator pressure and optimization administers fixed stepwise pressure changes to the lungs of a patient and measures the lung volume change resulting from each pressure change. Critical opening pressure, critical closing pressure, and overdistention pressure are determined by changes in lung volume corresponding to the fixed stepwise pressure changes.

Abstract: Respirator techniques are described for measuring the linear slope of the inspiratory phase to monitor lung compliance. The measurements of the slope characterize a pressure wave index which is recorded at regular intervals to provide a clear record from which a warning of the patient's pulmonary condition such as lung compliance can be derived. Several techniques are shown and described. In one, the pressure wave index is determined by sensing the times when the pressure-time signal reaches predetermined pressure levels above a base line. In another technique, the linear slope segment is searched for and its slope then measured.