Transmission of pressure within the abdomen

1996 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 1111-1114 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. Tzelepis ◽  
L. Nasiff ◽  
F. D. McCool ◽  
J. Hammond

The extent to which transmission of pressure within the abdomen is accomplished in accordance with the laws of fluid mechanics, i.e., homogeneous transmission to all portions of the abdomen, is controversial. To examine the cranial-to-caudal as well as side-to-side transmission of pressure within the abdomen in humans, we measured intra-abdominal pressure at four sites in five subjects undergoing colonoscopy. Liquid-filled catheters were inserted into the colon, and intracolonic pressure was measured in the rectum and in transverse, descending, and sigmoid colon. Differences in intracolonic pressure were recorded during breaths to total lung capacity and brief expulsive maneuvers. Measurements were taken in the supine, right lateral, and seated position. Comparison of pressure swings at all sites showed that the pressure changes were nearly equal during both inspiratory and expulsive maneuvers. The changes in pressure were uniform in the cephalocaudal axis as from side to side. We conclude that transmission of abdominal pressure in humans is nearly homogeneous. Our findings provide support for the hydraulic model of abdominal mechanics.

1991 ◽  
Vol 70 (6) ◽  
pp. 2611-2618 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Mutoh ◽  
W. J. Lamm ◽  
L. J. Embree ◽  
J. Hildebrandt ◽  
R. K. Albert

Abdominal distension (AD) occurs in pregnancy and is also commonly seen in patients with ascites from various causes. Because the abdomen forms part of the "chest wall," the purpose of this study was to clarify the effects of AD on ventilatory mechanics. Airway pressure, four (vertical) regional pleural pressures, and abdominal pressure were measured in five anesthetized, paralyzed, and ventilated upright pigs. The effects of AD on the lung and chest wall were studied by inflating a liquid-filled balloon placed in the abdominal cavity. Respiratory system, chest wall, and lung pressure-volume (PV) relationships were measured on deflation from total lung capacity to residual volume, as well as in the tidal breathing range, before and 15 min after abdominal pressure was raised. Increasing abdominal pressure from 3 to 15 cmH2O decreased total lung capacity and functional residual capacity by approximately 40% and shifted the respiratory system and chest wall PV curves downward and to the right. Much smaller downward shifts in lung deflation curves were seen, with no change in the transdiaphragmatic PV relationship. All regional pleural pressures increased (became less negative) and, in the dependent region, approached 0 cmH2O at functional residual capacity. Tidal compliances of the respiratory system, chest wall, and lung were decreased 43, 42, and 48%, respectively. AD markedly alters respiratory system mechanics primarily by "stiffening" the diaphragm/abdomen part of the chest wall and secondarily by restricting lung expansion, thus shifting the lung PV curve as seen after chest strapping. The less negative pleural pressures in the dependent lung regions suggest that nonuniformities of ventilation could also be accentuated and gas exchange impaired by AD.


2006 ◽  
Vol 101 (3) ◽  
pp. 799-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leigh M. Seccombe ◽  
Peter G. Rogers ◽  
Nghi Mai ◽  
Chris K. Wong ◽  
Leonard Kritharides ◽  
...  

One technique employed by competitive breath-hold divers to increase diving depth is to hyperinflate the lungs with glossopharyngeal breathing (GPB). Our aim was to assess the relationship between measured volume and pressure changes due to GPB. Seven healthy male breath-hold divers, age 33 ( 8 ) [mean (SD)] years were recruited. Subjects performed baseline body plethysmography (TLCPRE). Plethysmography and mouth relaxation pressure were recorded immediately following a maximal GPB maneuver at total lung capacity (TLC) (TLCGPB) and within 5 min after the final GPB maneuver (TLCPOST). Mean TLC increased from TLCPRE to TLCGPB by 1.95 (0.66) liters and vital capacity (VC) by 1.92 (0.56) liters ( P < 0.0001), with no change in residual volume. There was an increase in TLCPOST compared with TLCPRE of 0.16 liters (0.14) ( P < 0.02). Mean mouth relaxation pressure at TLCGPB was 65 (19) cmH2O and was highly correlated with the percent increase in TLC ( R = 0.96). Breath-hold divers achieve substantial increases in measured lung volumes using GPB primarily from increasing VC. Approximately one-third of the additional air was accommodated by air compression.


Respiration ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Roberta Pisi ◽  
Marina Aiello ◽  
Luigino Calzetta ◽  
Annalisa Frizzelli ◽  
Veronica Alfieri ◽  
...  

<b><i>Background:</i></b> The ventilation heterogeneity (VH) is reliably assessed by the multiple-breath nitrogen washout (MBNW), which provides indices of conductive (<i>S</i><sub>cond</sub>) and acinar (<i>S</i><sub>acin</sub>) VH as well as the lung clearance index (LCI), an index of global VH. VH can be alternatively measured by the poorly communicating fraction (PCF), that is, the ratio of total lung capacity by body plethysmography to alveolar volume from the single-breath lung diffusing capacity measurement. <b><i>Objectives:</i></b> Our objective was to assess VH by PCF and MBNW in patients with asthma and with COPD and to compare PCF and MBNW parameters in both patient groups. <b><i>Method:</i></b> We studied 35 asthmatic patients and 45 patients with COPD. Each patient performed spirometry, body plethysmography, diffusing capacity, and MBNW test. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Compared to COPD patients, asthmatics showed a significantly lesser degree of airflow obstruction and lung hyperinflation. In asthmatic patients, both PCF and LCI and <i>S</i><sub>acin</sub> values were significantly lower than the corresponding ones of COPD patients. In addition, in both patient groups, PCF showed a positive correlation with LCI (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05) and <i>S</i><sub>acin</sub> (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.05), but not with <i>S</i><sub>cond</sub>. Lastly, COPD patients with PCF &#x3e;30% were highly likely to have a value ≥2 of the mMRC dyspnea scale. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> These results showed that PCF, a readily measure derived from routine pulmonary function testing, can provide a comprehensive measure of both global and acinar VH in asthma and in COPD patients and can be considered as a comparable tool to the well-established MBNW technique.


Radiology ◽  
1966 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-30 ◽  
Author(s):  
Herbert M. Loyd ◽  
S. Timothy String ◽  
Arthur B. DuBois

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1959 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 181-193
Author(s):  
C. D. Cook ◽  
P. J. Helliesen ◽  
L. Kulczycki ◽  
H. Barrie ◽  
L. Friedlander ◽  
...  

Tidal volume, respiratory rate and lung volumes have been measured in 64 patients with cystic fibrosis of the pancreas while lung compliance and resistance were measured in 42 of these. Serial studies of lung volumes were done in 43. Tidal volume was reduced and the respiratory rate increased only in the most severely ill patients. Excluding the three patients with lobectomies, residual volume and functional residual capacity were found to be significantly increased in 46 and 21%, respectively. These changes correlated well with the roentgenographic evaluation of emphysema. Vital capacity was significantly reduced in 34% while total lung capacity was, on the average, relatively unchanged. Seventy per cent of the 61 patients had a signficantly elevated RV/TLC ratio. Lung compliance was significantly reduced in only the most severely ill patients but resistance was significantly increased in 35% of the patients studied. The serial studies of lung volumes showed no consistent trends among the groups of patients in the period between studies. However, 10% of the surviving patients showed evidence of significant improvement while 15% deteriorated. [See Fig. 8. in Source Pdf.] Although there were individual discrepancies, there was a definite correlation between the clinical evaluation and tests of respiratory function, especially the changes in residual volume, the vital capacity, RV/ TLC ratio and the lung compliance and resistance.


2018 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 1800821 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurie J. Smith ◽  
Guilhem J. Collier ◽  
Helen Marshall ◽  
Paul J.C. Hughes ◽  
Alberto M. Biancardi ◽  
...  

Hyperpolarised helium-3 (3He) ventilation magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and multiple-breath washout (MBW) are sensitive methods for detecting lung disease in cystic fibrosis (CF). We aimed to explore their relationship across a broad range of CF disease severity and patient age, as well as assess the effect of inhaled lung volume on ventilation distribution.32 children and adults with CF underwent MBW and 3He-MRI at a lung volume of end-inspiratory tidal volume (EIVT). In addition, 28 patients performed 3He-MRI at total lung capacity. 3He-MRI scans were quantitatively analysed for ventilation defect percentage (VDP), ventilation heterogeneity index (VHI) and the number and size of individual contiguous ventilation defects. From MBW, the lung clearance index, convection-dependent ventilation heterogeneity (Scond) and convection–diffusion-dependent ventilation heterogeneity (Sacin) were calculated.VDP and VHI at EIVT strongly correlated with lung clearance index (r=0.89 and r=0.88, respectively), Sacin (r=0.84 and r=0.82, respectively) and forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) (r=−0.79 and r=−0.78, respectively). Two distinct 3He-MRI patterns were highlighted: patients with abnormal FEV1 had significantly (p<0.001) larger, but fewer, contiguous defects than those with normal FEV1, who tended to have numerous small volume defects. These two MRI patterns were delineated by a VDP of ∼10%. At total lung capacity, when compared to EIVT, VDP and VHI reduced in all subjects (p<0.001), demonstrating improved ventilation distribution and regions of volume-reversible and nonreversible ventilation abnormalities.


1980 ◽  
Vol 49 (6) ◽  
pp. 946-952 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. A. Bradley ◽  
N. R. Anthonisen

The effects of a variety of restrictive procedures on lung mechanics were studied in eight healthy subjects. Rib cage restriction decreased total lung capacity (TLC) by 43% and significantly increased elastic recoil and maximum expiratory flow (MEF). Subsequent immersion of four subjects with rib cage restriction resulted in no further change in either parameter; shifts of blood volume did not reverse recoil changes during rib cage restriction. Abdominal restriction decreased TLC by 40% and increased MEF and elastic recoil, but recoil was increased significantly less than was the case with rib cage restriction. Further, at a given recoil pressure, MEF was less during rib cage restriction than during either abdominal restriction or no restriction. Measurements of the unevenness of inspired gas distribution by the single-breath nitrogen technique showed increased unevenness during rib cage restriction, which was significantly greater than that during abdominal restriction. We conclude that lung volume restriction induces changes in lung function, but the nature of these changes depends on how the restriction is applied and therefore cannot be ascribed to low lung volume breathing per se.


1975 ◽  
Vol 38 (3) ◽  
pp. 411-417 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. S. Goldberg ◽  
W. Mitzner ◽  
K. Adams ◽  
H. Menkes ◽  
S. Lichtenstein ◽  
...  

Quasi-static pressure-volume (P-V) curves in normal seated human subjects were determined with pressure at the airway opening (Pa0) set below (negative pressure), above (positive pressure), or equal to ambient pressure. Dynamic compliance (Cdyn) during controlled continuous negative pressure breathing (CNPB) was also studied. Quasi-static P-V curves at negative pressure were decreased in slope, reflected a decrease in total lung capacity, and intersected the P-V curve obtained at ambient Pa0. At positive pressure the P-V curves showed an increase in slope and an increase in total lung capacity. During CNPB a fall in Cdyn was found. The fall in Cdyn was rapid and persisted for the duration of CNPB. Cdyn promptly returned to control levels when Pa0 was adjusted to ambient pressure.


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.


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