OBJECTIVE To evaluate spirometric patterns of respiratory disorders and their relationship with functional severity and maximal expiratory flows at low lung volumes in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). METHODS A retrospective cross-sectional study including adolescents and adults with CF. All of the patients were submitted to spirometry. Patients were classified as having preserved respirat...

Background. Traditional approaches to mechanical ventilation use tidal volumes of 10 to 15 ml per kilogram of body weight and may cause stretch-induced lung injury in patients with acute lung injury and the acute respiratory distress syndrome. We therefore conducted a trial to determine whether ventilation with lower tidal volumes would improve the clinical outcomes in these patients. Methods. ...

Continuous respiratory monitoring is important to assess adequate ventilation. We present a fiber optic-based smart textile for respiratory monitoring able to work during Magnetic Resonance (MR) examinations. The system is based on the conversion of chest wall movements into strain of two fiber Bragg grating (FBG) sensors, placed on the upper thorax (UT). FBGs are glued on the textile by an adh...

PURPOSE To describe an animal model of rapid intravenous infusion with different volumes of crystalloid and discuss the clinical findings. METHODS Fifty six male Wistar rats were used, divided randomly in seven groups (n = 8). The rats of groups 1 to 6 received lactated Ringer's solution intravenously, in the rate of 25 ml/min, with different volumes proportional to blood volume (BV). The rat...

BACKGROUND Maximum pressures developed by the respiratory muscles can indicate the health of the respiratory system, help to determine maximum respiratory flow rates, and contribute to respiratory power development. Past measurements of maximum pressures have been found to be inadequate for inclusion in some exercise models involving respiration. METHODS Maximum inspiratory and expiratory air...

OBJECTIVES To evaluate and compare the efficiency of humidification in available heat and moisture exchanger models under conditions of varying tidal volume, respiratory rate, and flow rate. INTRODUCTION Inspired gases are routinely preconditioned by heat and moisture exchangers to provide a heat and water content similar to that provided normally by the nose and upper airways. The absolute h...

THE ACQUISITION of a beer belly is the fate of many a physiologist. Fortunately, far fewer of us pursue beer drinking to the point of liver failure and the development of ascites. Ascites is defined as the presence of excess protein-containing fluid in the peritoneal cavity, which can range in amount from 100 ml up to as much as 25 liters. The most common cause is alcoholic cirrhosis, but ascit...

The respiratory muscles provide the motive power for breathing. Despite this central role in ventilation their physiology has been relatively neglected, perhaps partly because of the complexity of their function, and the difficulties of studying them. However, in the last decade, there has been considerable increase in interest, and a number of new concepts have arisen [l-31. It is now apprecia...

THE ACQUISITION of a beer belly is the fate of many a physiologist. Fortunately, far fewer of us pursue beer drinking to the point of liver failure and the development of ascites. Ascites is defined as the presence of excess protein-containing fluid in the peritoneal cavity, which can range in amount from 100 ml up to as much as 25 liters. The most common cause is alcoholic cirrhosis, but ascit...