Of 181 patients undergoing major abdominal surgery 116 developed chest complications associated with a metabolic acidosis, low Pco2, depressed tidal volume, increased respiratory rate, but no increase in minute volume. In a matched group of 116 patients given intravenous bicarbonate postoperatively only 15 developed chest complications. This suggests that respiratory physiological dead space de...

We evaluated the ability of forced expiratory flow volume curves from raised lung volumes to assess airway function among infants with differing severities of respiratory symptoms. Group 1 (n = 33) had previous respiratory symptoms but were currently asymptomatic; group 2 (n = 36) was symptomatic at the time of evaluation. As a control group, we used our previously published sample of 155 healt...

Upper airway unidirectional breathing, nose in and mouth out, is used by panting dogs to facilitate heat removal via water evaporation from the respiratory system. Why some humans instinctively employ the same breathing pattern during respiratory distress is still open to question. We hypothesized that 1) humans unconsciously perform unidirectional breathing because it improves breathing effici...

OBJECTIVES To describe specific diagnoses for which systemic antibiotics are prescribed, to assess adherence of antibiotic choice to national guidelines and to assess consistency among general practitioners (GPs) in prescribed volumes of antibiotics for respiratory, ear and urinary tract disorders. METHODS The cross-sectional study included 174 GPs from 89 general practices. Data were derived...

STUDY OBJECTIVES Respiratory muscle strength has been shown to be reduced in patients with chronic heart failure. The purpose of this prospective study was to determine whether long-term therapy with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor perindopril improves respiratory muscle strength in patients with chronic heart failure. PATIENTS AND METHODS Eighteen patients with stable chron...

During recent years it has been suggested that forced expiratory measurements, derived from a lung volume set by a standardized inflation pressure, are more reproducible than those attained during tidal breathing when the rapid thoracoabdominal compression technique is used in infants. The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of obtaining measurements from raised lung volumes in un...

OBJECTIVE To describe ventilatory dynamics following the onset of ventricular fibrillation (VF) in an experimental swine model. METHODS Twelve female mixed-breed domestic swine (mean mass 21.3 +/- 1.7 kg) were sedated with IM ketamine (10 mg/kg) and xylazine (1 mg/kg), anesthetized with alpha-chloralose (40 mg/kg loading dose, 10 mg/kg/hr maintenance infusion), intubated, and mechanically ven...

BACKGROUND Survival rates of patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) have improved to up to 80%. Little is known about long-term consequences of the disease and its treatment. We evaluated lung function and respiratory symptoms longitudinally in a previously studied cohort of CDH patients and age-matched non-CDH patients who underwent similar neonatal intensive care treatment. STU...

Piper AJ, Grunstein RR. Big breathing: the complex interaction of obesity, hypoventilation, weight loss, and respiratory function. J Appl Physiol 108: 199–205, 2010. First published October 29, 2009; doi:10.1152/japplphysiol.00713.2009.— Obesity places a significant load on the respiratory system, affecting lung volumes, respiratory muscle function, work of breathing, and ventilatory control. D...

Based on prior data, the current authors hypothesised that beneficial pronation effects on gas exchange and respiratory mechanics might be maximised in severely hyperinflated chronic bronchitis patients. The current authors also sought to elucidate underlying mechanisms and to determine whether pronation effects are reflected by postural changes in inspiratory pressure-volume (P-V) curve charac...