Abstract
Decreased ventilatory response to carbon dioxide is often present in lung disease. This can be due to a reduction in the output of the respiratory centre or an inability of the respiratory pump to respond to a normal output because of the size or impedance of the pump. To separate these mechanisms we have measured the isometric force developed by the respiratory muscles during brief airway occlusion, by measuring the pressure generated at 100 milliseconds (PM100). We have found a linear rise of PM100 with rising PCO2 during re-breathing CO2 response curves. There is a wide range in the slope of PM100/PCO2 in children indicating a wide range in sensitivity of the respiratory centre, but no relationship to age or size. In contrast the ventilatory response either assessed as VE/CO2 or VT/PCO2 depended on lung size. Correction for lung size does produce a linear relationship (VE/TLC = 0.37 CO2 + 1.09 P > 0.02; VT/TLC = 0.013 co2 + 0.01 P < 0.001). These results suggest that comparison of PM/PCO2 and VE/PCO2 can differentiate abnormalities of the respiratory centre from abnormalities of the pump, particularly in children, where response depends on lung size.
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Cosgrove, J., Cooper, P., Bryan, A. et al. A NEW METHOD OF EVALUATING THE CHEMOSENSITIVITY OF THE RESPIRATORY CENTRE IN CHILDREN. Pediatr Res 8, 466 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197404000-00756
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197404000-00756