Assessment of Inspiratory Effort in Spontaneously Breathing COVID-19 ARDS Patients Undergoing Helmet CPAP: A Comparison between Esophageal, Transdiaphragmatic and Central Venous Pressure Swing
- PMID: 37296817
- PMCID: PMC10252717
- DOI: 10.3390/diagnostics13111965
Assessment of Inspiratory Effort in Spontaneously Breathing COVID-19 ARDS Patients Undergoing Helmet CPAP: A Comparison between Esophageal, Transdiaphragmatic and Central Venous Pressure Swing
Abstract
Introduction: The clinical features of COVID-19 are highly variable. It has been speculated that the progression across COVID-19 may be triggered by excessive inspiratory drive activation. The aim of the present study was to assess whether the tidal swing in central venous pressure (ΔCVP) is a reliable estimate of inspiratory effort.
Methods: Thirty critically ill patients with COVID-19 ARDS underwent a PEEP trial (0-5-10 cmH2O) during helmet CPAP. Esophageal (ΔPes) and transdiaphragmatic (ΔPdi) pressure swings were measured as indices of inspiratory effort. ΔCVP was assessed via a standard venous catheter. A low and a high inspiratory effort were defined as ΔPes ≤ 10 and >15 cmH2O, respectively.
Results: During the PEEP trial, no significant changes in ΔPes (11 [6-16] vs. 11 [7-15] vs. 12 [8-16] cmH2O, p = 0.652) and in ΔCVP (12 [7-17] vs. 11.5 [7-16] vs. 11.5 [8-15] cmH2O, p = 0.918) were detected. ΔCVP was significantly associated with ΔPes (marginal R2 0.87, p < 0.001). ΔCVP recognized both low (AUC-ROC curve 0.89 [0.84-0.96]) and high inspiratory efforts (AUC-ROC curve 0.98 [0.96-1]).
Conclusions: ΔCVP is an easily available a reliable surrogate of ΔPes and can detect a low or a high inspiratory effort. This study provides a useful bedside tool to monitor the inspiratory effort of spontaneously breathing COVID-19 patients.
Keywords: ARDS; COVID-19; central venous pressure; esophageal pressure; inspiratory effort.
Conflict of interest statement
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Figures



Similar articles
-
Detection of strong inspiratory efforts from the analysis of central venous pressure swings: a preliminary clinical study.Minerva Anestesiol. 2020 Dec;86(12):1296-1304. doi: 10.23736/S0375-9393.20.14323-2. Epub 2020 Aug 4. Minerva Anestesiol. 2020. PMID: 32755084
-
Central venous pressure swing outperforms diaphragm ultrasound as a measure of inspiratory effort during pressure support ventilation in COVID-19 patients.J Clin Monit Comput. 2022 Apr;36(2):461-471. doi: 10.1007/s10877-021-00674-4. Epub 2021 Feb 26. J Clin Monit Comput. 2022. PMID: 33635495 Free PMC article.
-
Estimation of the transpulmonary pressure from the central venous pressure in mechanically ventilated patients.J Clin Monit Comput. 2024 Aug;38(4):847-858. doi: 10.1007/s10877-024-01150-5. Epub 2024 Mar 21. J Clin Monit Comput. 2024. PMID: 38512359 Free PMC article.
-
Monitoring effort and respiratory drive in patients with acute respiratory failure.Curr Opin Crit Care. 2025 Jun 1;31(3):302-311. doi: 10.1097/MCC.0000000000001271. Epub 2025 Apr 4. Curr Opin Crit Care. 2025. PMID: 40205969 Review.
-
Respiratory Variations of Central Venous Pressure as Indices of Pleural Pressure Swings: A Narrative Review.Diagnostics (Basel). 2023 Mar 7;13(6):1022. doi: 10.3390/diagnostics13061022. Diagnostics (Basel). 2023. PMID: 36980329 Free PMC article. Review.
Cited by
-
Effects of CPAP and FiO2 on respiratory effort and lung stress in early COVID-19 pneumonia: a randomized, crossover study.Ann Intensive Care. 2023 Oct 17;13(1):103. doi: 10.1186/s13613-023-01202-0. Ann Intensive Care. 2023. PMID: 37847454 Free PMC article.
-
Monitoring patients with acute respiratory failure during non-invasive respiratory support to minimize harm and identify treatment failure.Crit Care. 2025 Apr 9;29(1):147. doi: 10.1186/s13054-025-05369-9. Crit Care. 2025. PMID: 40205493 Free PMC article. Review.
-
Respiratory Drive, Effort, and Lung-Distending Pressure during Transitioning from Controlled to Spontaneous Assisted Ventilation in Patients with ARDS: A Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study.J Clin Med. 2024 Sep 3;13(17):5227. doi: 10.3390/jcm13175227. J Clin Med. 2024. PMID: 39274439 Free PMC article.
-
Assessing inspiratory drive and effort in critically ill patients at the bedside.Crit Care. 2025 Jul 31;29(1):339. doi: 10.1186/s13054-025-05526-0. Crit Care. 2025. PMID: 40745324 Free PMC article. Review.
References
-
- Tonelli R., Fantini R., Tabbì L., Castaniere I., Pisani L., Pellegrino M.R., Della Casa G., D’Amico R., Girardis M., Nava S., et al. Early Inspiratory Effort Assessment by Esophageal Manometry Predicts Noninvasive Ventilation Outcome in De Novo Respiratory Failure. A Pilot Study. Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care. Med. 2020;202:558–567. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201912-2512OC. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
-
- Antonelli M., Conti G., Rocco M., Bufi M., De Blasi R.A., Vivino G., Gasparetto A., Meduri G.U. A Comparison of Noninvasive Positive-Pressure Ventilation and Conventional Mechanical Ventilation in Patients with Acute Respiratory Failure. N. Engl. J. Med. 1998;339:429–435. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199808133390703. - DOI - PubMed
LinkOut - more resources
Full Text Sources