Negative-pressure ventilation may have several advantages compared with positive-pressure ventilation. simulates natural lung movements, does not require tracheal intubation and reduce the incidence of barotrauma adverse cardiovascular events. A group engineers, doctors nurses designed bench-tested Exovent, a new, lightweight, torso-only, negative-pressure ventilatory support system. We aimed t...

The present study was planned to assess the correlation of pulmonary functions with body fat percentage in young individuals. A total of 132 (males--68, females--64) young students (18 to 21 years) with moderately sedentary lifestyle were recruited in this study. Their height, weight, body mass index (BMI) and waist to hip ratio (WHR) were measured. Pulmonary function tests (static and dynamic)...

CLINICAL PRESENTATION A 34-year-old woman with atopic asthma since the age of 16 years presented with increasing exertional dyspnoea and wheeze over a period of 12 months. She had no symptomatic benefit from escalation of bronchodilator therapy and her peak expiratory flow (PEF) remained reduced despite multiple courses of oral corticosteroid. Lung function at rest showed mild air flow obstruct...

In the July 2012 issue of the Journal, Borg and Thompson1 reported the effect of 2 different vital capacity methods on lung volume data and patient classification derived from whole body plethysmography. The preferred method according to American Thoracic Society/European Respiratory Society recommendations is to follow closed-shutter panting with exhalation to residual volume (RV, expiratory r...

The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of one night's sleep deprivation on the cardiorespiratory responses to exercise during the follicular and luteal phases of the menstrual cycle. We have studied nine, healthy females aged 24-35 years with regular menstrual cycles. Each subject performed spirometric tests at rest and then an incremental exercise testing during 11-13 days of ...

Genetically susceptible Brown Norway rats develop a chronic asthmalike syndrome after recovering from viral bronchiolitis at an early age. We hypothesized that airway closure is an important mechanism of airflow obstruction in postbronchiolitis rats. Rats were studied 8-12 wk after inoculation with Sendai virus or sterile vehicle at 3-4 wk of age. Under light pentobarbital anesthesia, rats were...

Functional residual capacity has been measured by helium dilution in 26 spontaneously breathing patients before and immediately after anaesthesia, which was induced with thiopentone and maintained with halothane. The mean reduction was 390 ml (16.1% or pre-induction value) and the change was highly significant (P less than 0.001). The decrease in FRC correlated with age (r equals 0.41: P less t...

C hronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a miserable disease; exercise intolerance is one of its most troubling symptoms. Moreover, it has recently been discovered that poor exercise tolerance is highly predictive of poor survival. Those who care for these patients are therefore highly motivated to seek ways to ameliorate exercise intolerance. In recent years progress has come from what...