Effect of lung volume on breath holding

1987 ◽  
Vol 62 (5) ◽  
pp. 1962-1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. A. Whitelaw ◽  
B. McBride ◽  
G. T. Ford

The mechanism by which large lung volume lessens the discomfort of breath holding and prolongs breath-hold time was studied by analyzing the pressure waves made by diaphragm contractions during breath holds at various lung volumes. Subjects rebreathed a mixture of 8% CO2–92% O2 and commenced breath holding after reaching an alveolar plateau. At all volumes, regular rhythmic contractions of inspiratory muscles, followed by means of gastric and pleural pressures, increased in amplitude and frequency until the breakpoint. Expiratory muscle activity was more prominent in some subjects than others, and increased through each breath hold. Increasing lung volume caused a delay in onset and a decrease in frequency of contractions with no consistent change in duty cycle and a decline in magnitude of esophageal pressure swings that could be accounted for by force-length and geometric properties. The effect of lung volume on the timing of contractions most resembled that of a chest wall reflex and is consistent with the hypothesis that the contractions are a major source of dyspnea in breath holding.

2000 ◽  
Vol 89 (5) ◽  
pp. 1787-1792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chantal Darquenne ◽  
Manuel Paiva ◽  
G. Kim Prisk

To determine the extent of the role that gravity plays in dispersion and deposition during breath holds, we performed aerosol bolus inhalations of 1-μm-diameter particles followed by breath holds of various lengths on four subjects on the ground (1G) and during short periods of microgravity (μG). Boluses of ∼70 ml were inhaled to penetration volumes (Vp) of 150 and 500 ml, at a constant flow rate of ∼0.45 l/s. Aerosol concentration and flow rate were continuously measured at the mouth. Aerosol deposition and dispersion were calculated from these data. Deposition was independent of breath-hold time at both Vp in μG, whereas, in 1G, deposition increased with increasing breath hold time. At Vp = 150 ml, dispersion was similar at both gravity levels and increased with breath hold time. At Vp = 500 ml, dispersion in 1G was always significantly higher than in μG. The data provide direct evidence that gravitational sedimentation is the main mechanism of deposition and dispersion during breath holds. The data also suggest that cardiogenic mixing and turbulent mixing contribute to deposition and dispersion at shallow Vp.


1988 ◽  
Vol 64 (6) ◽  
pp. 2482-2489 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Leblanc ◽  
E. Summers ◽  
M. D. Inman ◽  
N. L. Jones ◽  
E. J. Campbell ◽  
...  

The capacity of inspiratory muscles to generate esophageal pressure at several lung volumes from functional residual capacity (FRC) to total lung capacity (TLC) and several flow rates from zero to maximal flow was measured in five normal subjects. Static capacity was 126 +/- 14.6 cmH2O at FRC, remained unchanged between 30 and 55% TLC, and decreased to 40 +/- 6.8 cmH2O at TLC. Dynamic capacity declined by a further 5.0 +/- 0.35% from the static pressure at any given lung volume for every liter per second increase in inspiratory flow. The subjects underwent progressive incremental exercise to maximum power and achieved 1,800 +/- 45 kpm/min and maximum O2 uptake of 3,518 +/- 222 ml/min. During exercise peak esophageal pressure increased from 9.4 +/- 1.81 to 38.2 +/- 5.70 cmH2O and end-inspiratory esophageal pressure increased from 7.8 +/- 0.52 to 22.5 +/- 2.03 cmH2O from rest to maximum exercise. Because the estimated capacity available to meet these demands is critically dependent on end-inspiratory lung volume, the changes in lung volume during exercise were measured in three of the subjects using He dilution. End-expiratory volume was 52.3 +/- 2.42% TLC at rest and 38.5 +/- 0.79% TLC at maximum exercise.


1991 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 855-862 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Gonzalez Mangado ◽  
G. Peces-Barba ◽  
S. Verbanck ◽  
M. Paiva

Single-breath washouts were performed on 30 Wistar rats postmortem in studies in which breaths of 90% O2–5% He-5% SF6 were given. We investigated the effects of variations in preinspiratory lung volume, inspired volume, end-inspiratory breath-hold time, and inspiratory and expiratory flows on the alveolar plateau slopes for N2, He, and SF6. The main result is that the slope for He was always larger than the slope for SF6, except for large breath-hold times (approximately 15 s), contrary to previous findings in other species. Slopes for the three gases decreased with increasing inspiratory and expiratory flows when flows were greater than 1 ml/s. There was a strong correlation between the magnitude of a slope and its curvilinearity, suggesting that the concentration heterogeneity in the lung that causes the slope is due to interaction between diffusion and convection. The results seem incompatible with heterogeneities of parenchymal elasticity, which have been said to contribute to alveolar slopes in dog lungs but appear to be completely explainable as the result of diffusion-convection interaction in an asymmetric lung structure that has acini widely spread along the tracheobronchial tree.


1994 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 1494-1501 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. R. Soparkar ◽  
J. T. Mink ◽  
B. L. Graham ◽  
D. J. Cotton

The dynamic changes in CO concentration [CO] during a single breath could be influenced by topographic inhomogeneity in the lung or by peripheral inhomogeneity due to a gas mixing resistance in the gas phase of the lung or to serial gradients in gas diffusion. Ten healthy subjects performed single-breath maneuvers by slowly inhaling test gas from functional residual capacity to one-half inspiratory capacity and slowly exhaling to residual volume with target breath-hold times of 0, 1.5, 3, 6, and 9 s. We calculated the three-equation single-breath diffusing capacity of the lung for CO (DLSBCO-3EQ) from the mean [CO] in both the entire alveolar gas sample and in four successive equal alveolar gas samples. DLSBCO-3EQ from the entire alveolar gas sample was independent of breath-hold time. However, with 0 s of breath holding, from early alveolar gas samples DLSBCO-3EQ was reduced and from late alveolar gas samples it was increased. With increasing breath-hold time, DLSBCO-3EQ from the earliest alveolar gas sample rapidly increased, whereas from the last alveolar gas sample it rapidly decreased such that all values from the small alveolar gas samples approached DLSBCO-3EQ from the entire alveolar sample. These changes correlated with ventilation inhomogeneity, as measured by the phase III He concentration slope and the mixing efficiency, and were larger for maneuvers with inspired volumes to one-half inspiratory capacity vs. total lung capacity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


1968 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 73-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.R. Heath ◽  
C.J. Irwin
Keyword(s):  

1989 ◽  
Vol 76 (6) ◽  
pp. 673-676 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. H. Kendrick ◽  
A. Rozkovec ◽  
M. Papouchado ◽  
J. West ◽  
G. Laszlo

1. Resting pulmonary blood flow (Q.), using the uptake of the soluble inert gas Freon-22 and an indirect estimate of lung tissue volume, has been estimated during breath-holding (Q.c) and compared with direct Fick cardiac output (Q.f) in 16 patients with various cardiac disorders. 2. The effect of breath-hold time was investigated by comparing Q.c estimated using 6 and 10 s of breath-holding in 17 patients. Repeatability was assessed by duplicate measurements of Q.c in the patients and in six normal subjects. 3. Q.c tended to overestimate Q.f, the bias and error being 0.09 l/min and 0.59, respectively. The coefficient of repeatability for Q.c in the patients was 0.75 l/min and in the normal subjects was 0.66 1/min. For Q.f it was 0.72 l/min. There was no significant difference in Q.c measured at the two breath-hold times. 4. The technique is simple to perform, and provides a rapid estimate of Q., monitoring acute and chronic changes in cardiac output in normal subjects and patients with cardiac disease.


1993 ◽  
Vol 75 (2) ◽  
pp. 927-932 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Cotton ◽  
M. B. Prabhu ◽  
J. T. Mink ◽  
B. L. Graham

In normal seated subjects we increased single-breath ventilation inhomogeneity by changing both the preinspiratory lung volume and breath-hold time and examined the ensuing effects on two different techniques of measuring the diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLCO). We measured the mean single-breath DLCO using the three-equation method (DLCOSB-3EQ) and also measured DLCO over discrete intervals during exhalation by the "intrabreath" method (DLCOexhaled). We assessed the distribution of ventilation using the normalized phase III slope for helium (SN). DLCOSB-3EQ was unaffected by preinspiratory lung volume and breath-hold time. DLCOexhaled increased with increasing preinspiratory lung volume and decreased with increasing breath-hold time. These changes correlated with the simultaneously observed changes in ventilation inhomogeneity as measured by SN (P < 0.01). We conclude that measurements of DLCOexhaled do not accurately reflect the mean DLCO. Intrabreath methods of measuring DLCO are based on the slope of the exhaled CO concentration curve, which is affected by both ventilation and diffusion inhomogeneities. Although DLCOexhaled may theoretically provide information about the distribution of CO uptake, the concomitant effects of ventilation nonuniformity on DLCOexhaled may mimic or mask the effects of diffusion nonuniformity.


1992 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 2623-2630 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Cotton ◽  
M. B. Prabhu ◽  
J. T. Mink ◽  
B. L. Graham

In patients with airflow obstruction, we found that ventilation inhomogeneity during vital capacity single-breath maneuvers was associated with decreases in the three-equation single-breath CO diffusing capacity of the lung (DLcoSB-3EQ) when breath-hold time (tBH) decreased. We postulated that this was due to a significant resistance to diffusive gas mixing within the gas phase of the lung. In this study, we hypothesized that this phenomenon might also occur in normal subjects if the breathing cycle were altered from traditional vital capacity maneuvers to those that increase ventilation inhomogeneity. In 10 normal subjects, we examined the tBH dependence of both DLcoSB-3EQ and the distribution of ventilation, measured by the mixing efficiency and the normalized phase III slope for helium. Preinspiratory lung volume (V0) was increased by keeping the maximum end-inspiratory lung volume (Vmax) constant or by increasing V0 and Vmax. When V0 increased while Vmax was kept constant, we found that the tBH-independent and the tBH-dependent components of ventilation inhomogeneity increased, but DLcoSB-3EQ was independent of V0 and tBH. Increasing V0 and Vmax did not change ventilation inhomogeneity at a tBH of 0 s, but the tBH-dependent component decreased. DLcoSB-3EQ, although independent of tBH, increased slightly with increases in Vmax. We conclude that in normal subjects increases in ventilation inhomogeneity with increases in V0 do not result in DLcoSB-3EQ becoming tBH dependent.


1989 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 2045-2055 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. D. McCool ◽  
G. E. Tzelepis ◽  
D. E. Leith ◽  
F. G. Hoppin

When a subject breathes against an inspiratory resistance, the inspiratory pressure, the inspiratory flow, and the lung volume at which the breathing task takes place all interact to determine the length of time the task can be sustained (Tlim). We hypothesized that the mechanism actually limiting tasks in which these parameters were varied involved the rate of energy utilization by the inspiratory muscles. To test this hypothesis, we studied four experienced normal subjects during fatiguing breathing tasks performed over a range of pressures and flows and at two different lung volumes. We assessed energy utilization by measuring the increment in the rate of whole body O2 consumption due to the breathing task (VO2 resp). Power and mean esophageal pressure correlated with Tlim but depended also on lung volume and inspiratory flow rate. In contrast, VO2 resp closely correlated with Tlim, and this relationship was not systematically altered by inspiratory flow or lung volume. The shape of the VO2 resp vs. Tlim curve was approximately hyperbolic, with high rates of VO2 resp associated with short endurance times and lower rates of VO2 resp approaching an asymptotic value at high Tlim. These findings are consistent with a mechanism whereby a critical rate of energy utilization determines the endurance of the inspiratory pump, and that rate varies with pressure, flow, and lung volume.


1996 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 247-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian L Graham ◽  
Joseph T Mink ◽  
David J Cotton

Conventional methods of measuring the single breath diffusing capacity of the lung for carbon monoxide (DLcoSB) are based on the Krogh equation, which is valid only during breath holding. Rigid standardization is used to approximate a pure breath hold manoeuvre, but variations in performing the manoeuvre cause errors in the measurement of DLcoSB. The authors previously described a method of measuring DLcoSBusing separate equations describing carbon monoxide uptake during each phase of the manoeuvre: inhalation, breath holding and exhalation. The method is manoeuvre-independent, uses all of the exhaled alveolar gas to improve estimates of mean DLcoSBand lung volume, and is more accurate and precise than conventional methods. A slow, submaximal, more physiological single breath manoeuvre can be used to measure DLcoSBin patients who cannot achieve the flow rates and breath hold times necessary for the standardized manoeuvre. The method was initially implemented using prototype equipment but commercial systems are now available that are capable of implementing this method. The authors describe how to implement the method and discuss considerations to be made in its use.


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