BACKGROUND Left ventricular (LV) mass is an important predictor of heart failure and cardiovascular mortality, yet determinants of LV mass are incompletely understood. Pulmonary hyperinflation in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may contribute to changes in intrathoracic pressure that increase LV wall stress. We therefore hypothesized that residual lung volume in COPD would be assoc...

Acute hyperinflation causes the inspiratory muscles to operate at shorter than normal lengths. The ability of these muscles, in particular the diaphragm, to lower intrathoracic pressure is therefore reduced. Skeletal muscles, however, adapt to chronic shortening, and animals models of emphysema have shown that with chronic hyperinflation, the diaphragmatic muscle fibres lose sacromeres. As a re...

We studied 11 mild asthmatics to verify whether the mechanisms of hyperinflation in asthma could be inhibited or overcome by passively changing lung volumes. On day 1, we induced a fall in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1) of 30-60% by methacholine inhalation and measured the resulting increase in FRC (delta FRC). The delta FRC was 729 +/- 378 ml (mean +/- SD). On day 2, with the su...

BACKGROUND We evaluated the exercise capacity of children with cystic fibrosis to determine whether ventilatory limitation associated with static hyperinflation is related with decreased exercise capacity, thus predisposing these children to arterial hypoxemia during progressive exercise. METHODS Thirty-seven children, ages 8-17 years, underwent spirometry, body plethysmography, and cardiopul...

Asthma encompasses of respiratory symptoms that occur intermittently and with varying intensity accompanied by reversible expiratory airflow limitation. In acute exacerbations, it can be life-threatening due to its impact on ventilatory mechanics. Moreover, asthma has significant effects the cardiovascular system, primarily through heart-lung interaction-based mechanisms. Dynamic hyperinflation...

Lung hyperinflation up to vital capacity is used to re-expand collapsed lung areas and to improve gas exchange during general anesthesia. However, it may induce inflammation in normal lungs. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of a lung hyperinflation maneuver (LHM) on plasma cytokine release in 10 healthy subjects (age: 26.1 +/- 1.2 years, BMI: 23.8 +/- 3.6 kg/m(2)). LHM wa...

With interest we have read the paper by Carvalho and colleagues, in which the authors report the results of their elegant study on the role of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) in acute lung injury [1]. Carvalho and colleagues demonstrated in an acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) model that alveolar hyperinflation and nonaerated areas may coincide during a stepwise reduction of PE...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by persistent airflow limitation caused by bronchial alterations, small airways disease and parenchymal destruction. In patients with COPD the structural and functional lung alterations can progress more or less rapidly from the initial small airways disease to an overt COPD where a severe expiratory flow limitation takes place. In t...

Native lung hyperinflation (NLH) is one of the known complications after single lung transplantation (SLT). Generally, satisfactory results are achieved in patients undergoing SLT when simultaneous (or second stage) volume reduction of the contralateral native lung is performed. Contralateral native lung pneumonectomy after SLT is rarely reported. In this article, we report a case of a successf...