THE EFFECT OF FLUID ACCUMULATION IN STOMACH ON ELECTRICAL IMPEDANCE TOMOGRAPHY IMAGE OF LUNGS

Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a non-invasive, side effect free, bedside monitoring alternative to conventional imaging methods. One of the most frequent EIT system used for lung monitoring is PulmoVista 500 (Dr？ger Medical, Germany). The manufacturer of the system recommends placing the electrode belt at the level of 4th to 6th intercostal space. Since the fundus or cardia of the stomach is located in a position that contributes to the creation of EIT lung image, there is a question whether the EIT image is not influenced by the content of the stomach. The aim of this study is to investigate whether significantly different EIT images of the lungs can be obtained, if the monitoring is performed in subjects with different liquid content in the stomach. Eleven healthy subjects were monitored in this study at three phases: with empty stomach, after drinking 0.5 L and 1.0 L of water. Significant changes in the distribution of ventilation were found for regions of interest set as quadrants