INTRODUCTION Idiopathic phrenic nerve palsy is a rare cause of exertional dyspnea. We present a case of a patient presenting with worsening dyspnea of an unknown etiology found to be related to bilateral phrenic nerve palsy. DISCUSSION Forty-two-year-old man presented to our emergency department with exertional dyspnea, orthopnea, and a left lower lobe consolidation treated initially as bronc...

To evaluate the effect of outpatient pulmonary rehabilitation (OPR) on dyspnea, we measured this symptom using a visual analogue scale during graded treadmill exercise testing and with baseline and transitional dyspnea indices (TDI). The latter measure overall dyspnea in three spheres: functional impairment, magnitude of task, and magnitude of effort. Twenty patients with COPD referred for OPR ...

We examined the effects of dead space loading (DSL) on ventilation (V˙E), neural respiratory drive (EMGdi%max, diaphragm EMG expressed as a % of maximal EMGdi), contractile respiratory muscle effort (Pes,tidal%P(Imax), tidal esophageal pressure swing expressed as a % of maximal inspiratory Pes) and exertional dyspnea intensity ratings in 11 healthy adults with normal spirometry. Subjects comple...

Few therapies exist for the relief of dyspnea in restrictive lung disorders. Accumulating evidence suggests that nebulized opioids selective for the mu-receptor subtype may relieve dyspnea by modulating intrapulmonary opioid receptor activity. Our respective primary and secondary objectives were to test the hypothesis that nebulized fentanyl (a mu-opioid receptor agonist) relieves dyspnea durin...

A case of congenital, unilateral absence of a left pulmonary artery is described in a patient presenting with exertional dyspnea. Data from cardiopulmonary exercise testing suggest that the mechanism of dyspnea is secondary to a paradoxic elevation of the physiologic dead space to tidal volume ratio (VD/VT) during exercise.

A 71-year-old man was evaluated for a chief complaint of progressive dys-pnea on exertion over the previous 5 years. The patient's medical history is significant for revascularized coronary artery disease, left diaphragmatic paresis, systemic hypertension, and obesity. His medications included aspirin 81 mg daily, metoprolol succinate 100 mg daily, lisinopril 10 mg daily, and simvastatin 20 mg ...