What is peep and cpap in anesthesia?

Question

I know peep and c-pap have to so with airway in anethesia, but I don't know if there is different ranges or difficult or normal airways when it comes to this.

Answer 1

PEEP stands for Positive End Expiratory Pressure and CPAP stands for Continuous Positive Airway Pressure. They are the same thing, just stated different ways. Essentially, peep and cpap keep the alveoli of the lungs inflated even while you are exhaling. This is used in mechanical ventilation during a procedure requiring anesthesia, a person using a ventilator to sustain life, people with sleep apnea and babies who need extra help oxygenating their blood. In all these cases, peep and cpap should help prevent or correct atelectasis. Cpap and peep are used as a tool to augment oxygenation. It increases the alveolar surface area so that more gas exchange sites can be used, therefore allowing for better oxygenation.

Peep and cpap can be using invasively, ie, through and endotracheal tube or a tracheostomy, or non invasively, using a mask or nasal prongs. An average person has a natural amount of cpap or peep all the time just breathing normally, its said to be 3.0, (cm of h2o is the measurement). When using cpap or peep to augment breathing, a level of 5.0 is the starting point and peep can be added all the way through to 30.0, even though most hospitals won't allow for more than 20.0. The sicker the patient is, the more cpap or peep they will need. A person having a surgical proceedure and recieving anesthesia will recieve a peep of 5.0, a person who has a pulmonary disease and is using a vent to sustain life could need more than that, say 8.0 or 10.0 or even much more. Hope this was helpful!

Answer 2

PEEP is an acronym for positive end expiratory pressure, helps keep the alveoli open at end exhalation. The lowest setting can be +3 to +5 cm H20. Remember this is positive pressure so you are increasing your baseline by that much. At exhalation you will not drop back to zero, you will drop down to whatever the PEEP is set at. A normal lung can tolerate a PEEP of +3 to+5. If there's an oxygenation problem you will want to increase PEEP as long as you're hemodynamically stable because PEEP impedes venous return. Too much PEEP can cause barotrauma to lung.
There is what is called "optimal PEEP" where you increase PEEP in increments of +3 to +5 cmH2o until you start to get a change in hemodynamics. Once you've optimized PEEP you now know your ranges and then can make appropriate changes.


CPAP is constant positive airway pressure; Again, this is positive pressure within the airway. It is used 2 ways. This is a weaning mode during mechanical ventilation, a person can be weaned at
+3 to +5 cmH20, but I wouldn't recommend anymore than that.
Also, can be used for Obstructive Sleep Apnea as a home unit, where a full face mask or nasal mask is used for sleeping to keep upper airway from collapsing. The appropriate setting is obtained by doing a sleep study. The setting can vary from +5 to +12 cmH20.

Answer 3

I agree with all answers but wanted to make a slight correction on one:

PEEP is done when a patient has a breathing tube and is on a ventilator ( can be under anesthesia or in an ICU).
CPAP can be done either with a breathing tube on a ventilator, or at home with a mask instead

This person also forgot to say PEEP is done at home as well with patients on a home ventilator (like my daughter) not just under anesthesia or in an ICU. My daughters Peep setting is at 5.

Answer 4

Agree with both previous answers.
One more thing to add:
PEEP is done when a patient has a breathing tube and is on a ventilator ( can be under anesthesia or in an ICU).
CPAP can be done either with a breathing tube on a ventilator, or at home with a mask instead

Answer 5

PEEP and CPAP are the same thing. It provides end tidal pressure in your lungs. As you exhale, it keeps positive pressure in your lungs. This helps with the diffusion of oxygen into your blood stream. Think of it as not letting a balloon totally deflate. The same thing is happening to your lungs. It keeps air in there so that your lungs do not get "sticky," As you are sedated, your drive to breathe also gets knocked out. All in all, it keeps your oxygen level in your blood up.