Effect of gravity and posture on lung mechanics

2002 ◽  
Vol 93 (6) ◽  
pp. 2044-2052 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Bettinelli ◽  
C. Kays ◽  
O. Bailliart ◽  
A. Capderou ◽  
P. Techoueyres ◽  
...  

The volume-pressure relationship of the lung was studied in six subjects on changing the gravity vector during parabolic flights and body posture. Lung recoil pressure decreased by ∼2.7 cmH2O going from 1 to 0 vertical acceleration (Gz), whereas it increased by ∼3.5 cmH2O in 30° tilted head-up and supine postures. No substantial change was found going from 1 to 1.8 Gz. Matching the changes in volume-pressure relationships of the lung and chest wall (previous data), results in a decrease in functional respiratory capacity of ∼580 ml at 0 Gz relative to 1 Gz and of ∼1,200 ml going to supine posture. Microgravity causes a decrease in lung and chest wall recoil pressures as it removes most of the distortion of lung parenchyma and thorax induced by changing gravity field and/or posture. Hypergravity does not greatly affect respiratory mechanics, suggesting that mechanical distortion is close to maximum already at 1 Gz. The end-expiratory volume during quiet breathing corresponds to the mechanical functional residual capacity in each condition.

2013 ◽  
Vol 114 (8) ◽  
pp. 1066-1075 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rita Priori ◽  
Andrea Aliverti ◽  
André L. Albuquerque ◽  
Marco Quaranta ◽  
Paul Albert ◽  
...  

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients often show asynchronous movement of the lower rib cage during spontaneous quiet breathing and exercise. We speculated that varying body position from seated to supine would influence rib cage asynchrony by changing the configuration of the respiratory muscles. Twenty-three severe COPD patients (forced expiratory volume in 1 s = 32.5 ± 7.0% predicted) and 12 healthy age-matched controls were studied. Measurements of the phase shift between upper and lower rib cage and between upper rib cage and abdomen were performed with opto-electronic plethysmography during quiet breathing in the seated and supine position. Changes in diaphragm zone of apposition were measured by ultrasounds. Control subjects showed no compartmental asynchronous movement, whether seated or supine. In 13 COPD patients, rib cage asynchrony was noticed in the seated posture. This asynchrony disappeared in the supine posture. In COPD, upper rib cage and abdomen were synchronous when seated, but a strong asynchrony was found in supine. The relationships between changes in diaphragm zone of apposition and volume variations of chest wall compartments supported these findings. Rib cage paradox was noticed in approximately one-half of the COPD patients while seated, but was not related to impaired diaphragm motion. In the supine posture, the rib cage paradox disappeared, suggesting that, in this posture, diaphragm mechanics improves. In conclusion, changing body position induces important differences in the chest wall behavior in COPD patients.


1996 ◽  
Vol 85 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-59 ◽  
Author(s):  
David O. Warner ◽  
Mark A. Warner ◽  
Erik L. Ritman

Background Anesthesia produces atelectasis in the dependent areas of the lungs by mechanisms that remain unknown. It has been proposed that anesthesia produces a cephalad shift in the end-expiratory position of the diaphragm, which compresses the lungs and produces atelectasis. This study tested the hypothesis that the extent of atelectasis is correlated with the cephalad displacement of the dependent portion of the diaphragm produced by halothane anesthesia in healthy young human subjects. Methods Twelve volunteers (mean age 34 yr) were studied while awake and during approximately 1.2 minimum alveolar concentration halothane anesthesia. Chest wall configuration was determined using images of the thorax obtained by three-dimensional fast computed tomography. Functional residual capacity was measured by a nitrogen dilution technique. Measurements were performed during quiet breathing in all subjects and after paralysis with 0.1 mg/kg vecuronium and mechanical ventilation in six subjects. Atelectasis was assumed to be present in regions of the lung that showed radiographic attenuation values similar to solid organs such as the liver. Results Atelectasis in dependent lung regions was not apparent in scans performed while the subjects were awake. Anesthesia with spontaneous breathing increased the volume of atelectasis measured at end-expiration by more than 1 ml in 9 of 12 subjects. For all subjects, the volume of atelectasis was 29 +/- 10 ml (M +/- SE), representing 0.67 +/- 0.23% of the total thoracic volume. The distribution of atelectasis varied along the cephalocaudal axis, with less atelectasis in more cephalad transverse sections. Paralysis and mechanical ventilation significantly decreased the volume of atelectasis present at end-expiration. There was no correlation between the average amount of cephalad displacement of the most dependent region of the diaphragm and the amount of atelectasis, nor was there any correlation between the amount of atelectasis and anesthesia-induced changes in the end-expiratory position of any chest wall structure. Conclusions The dependent lung atelectasis produced by halothane anesthesia does not appear to be related to changes in the position of any single chest wall structure in these healthy young subjects, but rather to an interaction of several factors that remain to be identified.


1995 ◽  
Vol 79 (4) ◽  
pp. 1199-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. Yap ◽  
R. A. Watson ◽  
S. Gilbey ◽  
N. B. Pride

Increased abdominal mass in obesity should enhance normal gravitational effects on supine respiratory mechanics. We have examined respiratory impedance (forced oscillation over 4–26 Hz applied at the mouth during tidal breathing), maximum inspiratory and expiratory mouth pressures (MIP and MEP), and maximum effort flow-volume curves seated and supine in seven obese subjects (O) (mean age 51 yr, body mass index 43.6 kg/m2) and seven control subjects (C) (mean age 50 yr, body mass index 21.8 kg/m2). Seated mean total lung capacity was smaller in O than in C (82 vs. 100% of predicted); ratio of functional residual capacity (FRC) to total lung capacity averaged 43% in O and 61% in C (P < 0.01). Total respiratory resistance (Rrs) at 6 Hz seated was higher in O (4.6 cmH2O.l-1.s) than in C (2.2 cmH2O.l-1.s; P < 0.001); total respiratory reactance (Xrs) at 6 Hz was lower in O than in C. In C, on changing to the supine posture, mean Rrs at 6 Hz rose to 2.9 cmH2O.l-1.s, FRC fell by 0.68 liter, and Xrs at 6 Hz showed a small fall. In O, despite no further fall in FRC, supine Rrs at 6 Hz increased to 7.3 cmH2O.l-1.s, and marked frequency dependency of Rrs and falls in Xrs developed. Seated, MIP and MEP in C and O were similar; supine there were small falls in MEP and maximum expiratory flow in O. The site and mechanism of the increase in supine Rrs and reduction in supine Xrs and the mechanism maintaining supine FRC in obesity all need further investigation.


1999 ◽  
Vol 87 (2) ◽  
pp. 561-566 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aladin M. Boriek ◽  
Joseph R. Rodarte ◽  
Theodore A. Wilson

Active and passive shortening of muscle bundles in the canine diaphragm were measured with the objective of testing a consequence of the minimal-work hypothesis: namely, that the ratio of active to passive shortening is the same for all active muscles. Lengths of six muscle bundles in the costal diaphragm and two muscle bundles in the crural diaphragm of each of four bred-for-research beagle dogs were measured by the radiopaque marker technique during the following maneuvers: a passive deflation maneuver from total lung capacity to functional residual capacity, quiet breathing, and forceful inspiratory efforts against an occluded airway at different lung volumes. Shortening per liter increase in lung volume was, on average, 70% greater during quiet breathing than during passive inflation in the prone posture and 40% greater in the supine posture. For the prone posture, the ratio of active to passive shortening was larger in the ventral and midcostal diaphragm than at the dorsal end of the costal diaphragm. For both postures, active shortening during quiet breathing was poorly correlated with passive shortening. However, shortening during forceful inspiratory efforts was highly correlated with passive shortening. The average ratios of active to passive shortening were 1.23 ± 0.02 and 1.32 ± 0.03 for the prone and supine postures, respectively. These data, taken together with the data reported in the companion paper (T. A. Wilson, M. Angelillo, A. Legrand, and A. De Troyer, J. Appl. Physiol. 87: 554-560, 1999), support the hypothesis that, during forceful inspiratory efforts, the inspiratory muscles drive the chest wall along the minimal-work trajectory.


1999 ◽  
Vol 86 (1) ◽  
pp. 16-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Hirai ◽  
K. A. McKeown ◽  
R. F. M. Gomes ◽  
J. H. T. Bates

To investigate the effect of lung volume on chest wall and lung mechanics in the rats, we measured the impedance (Z) under closed- and open-chest conditions at various positive end-expiratory pressures (0–0.9 kPa) by using a computer-controlled small-animal ventilator (T. F. Schuessler and J. H. T. Bates. IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng. 42: 860–866, 1995) that we have developed for determining accurately the respiratory Z in small animals. The Z of total respiratory system and lungs was measured with small-volume oscillations between 0.25 and 9.125 Hz. The measured Z was fitted to a model that featured a constant-phase tissue compartment (with dissipation and elastance characterized by constants G and H, respectively) and a constant airway resistance (Z. Hantos, B. Daroczy, B. Suki, S. Nagy, and J. J. Fredberg. J. Appl. Physiol. 72: 168–178, 1992). We matched the lung volume between the closed- and open-chest conditions by using the quasi-static pressure-volume relationship of the lungs to calculate Z as a function of lung volume. Resistance decreased with lung volume and was not significantly different between total respiratory system and lungs. However, G and H of the respiratory system were significantly higher than those of the lungs. We conclude that chest wall in rats has a significant influence on tissue mechanics of the total respiratory system.


1979 ◽  
Vol 46 (1) ◽  
pp. 61-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. G. Haddad ◽  
R. L. Pimmel ◽  
D. D. Scaperoth ◽  
P. A. Bromberg

Respiratory mechanics were studied in nine intubated dogs before and after exposure to aerosolized papain under conditions known to produce emphysemalike lesions. Forced oscillatory resistance (RFO), compliance (CFO), and inertance (IFO) were computed from impedance data obtained at transrespiratory pressures of -10, 0 (FRC), +10, and +20 cmHWO. Dynamic compliance during tidal breathing (CTB) was also measured at FRC. After papain exposure CTB and CFO increased by 25% (P less than 0.05) at FRC and at +10 cmH2O. There were no consistent changes in RFO or IFO at FRC. However, RFO showed a greater dependency on transrespiratory pressure, which suggests that the elastic properties of airways may also have been affected by papain. Measurements made in open-chested papain-exposed animals showed that about 17% of total RFO and 20% of total elastance were attributable to the chest wall. Forced oscillatory impedance data are sensitive to experimental changes in lung mechanics and provide useful estimates of standard respiratory parameters.


1980 ◽  
Vol 49 (2) ◽  
pp. 300-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Southorn ◽  
K. Rehder ◽  
R. E. Hyatt

Functional residual capacity (FRC) and quasi-static deflation pressure-volume (PV) curves of the total respiratory system, lung, and chest wall were measured in eight trained dogs lying supine, first awake and then anesthetized with halothane. Two of the eight dogs were repetitively examined 10 times during a 15-mo period. FRC decreased with anesthesia in six of the eight dogs and incresed with anesthesia in the remaining two dogs. There was a significant mean anesthesia-induced reduction in FRC of 16.9% (P 〜 0.05). FRC change with anesthesia varied between studies in one of the two dogs repetitively examined. Mean PV curves of the total system, lung, and chest wall of the six dogs whose FRC decreased with anesthesia were shifted to the right by anesthesia. PV curves from the two dogs whose FRC increased with anesthesia were shifted to the left. Anesthesia produced a significant reduction (P 〜 0.05) in mean lung compliance and significant increases (P 〜0.05) in mean chest wall and total system compliances.


1998 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. 2060-2065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel Wantier ◽  
Marc Estenne ◽  
Sylvia Verbanck ◽  
G. Kim Prisk ◽  
Manuel Paiva

We assessed the effects of sustained weightlessness on chest wall mechanics in five astronauts who were studied before, during, and after the 10-day Spacelab D-2 mission ( n = 3) and the 180-day Euromir-95 mission ( n= 2). We measured flow and pressure at the mouth and rib cage and abdominal volumes during resting breathing and during a relaxation maneuver from midinspiratory capacity to functional residual capacity. Microgravity produced marked and consistent changes (Δ) in the contribution of the abdomen to tidal volume [ΔVab/(ΔVab + ΔVrc), where Vab is abdominal volume and Vrc is rib cage volume], which increased from 30.7 ± 3.5 (SE)% at 1 G head-to-foot acceleration to 58.3 ± 5.7% at 0 G head-to-foot acceleration ( P < 0.005). Values of ΔVab/(ΔVab + ΔVrc) did not change significantly during the 180 days of the Euromir mission, but in the two subjects ΔVab/(ΔVab + ΔVrc) was greater on postflight day 1 than on subsequent postflight days or preflight. In the two subjects who produced satisfactory relaxation maneuvers, the slope of the Konno-Mead plot decreased in microgravity; this decrease was entirely accounted for by an increase in abdominal compliance because rib cage compliance did not change. These alterations are similar to those previously reported during short periods of weightlessness inside aircrafts flying parabolic trajectories. They are also qualitatively similar to those observed on going from upright to supine posture; however, in contrast to microgravity, such postural change reduces rib cage compliance.


2019 ◽  
Vol 127 (1) ◽  
pp. 198-204 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roberta Südy ◽  
Gergely H. Fodor ◽  
André Dos Santos Rocha ◽  
Álmos Schranc ◽  
József Tolnai ◽  
...  

Changes in lung mechanics are frequently inferred from intact-chest measures of total respiratory system mechanics without consideration of the chest wall contribution. The participation of lungs and chest wall in respiratory mechanics has not been evaluated systematically in small animals commonly used in respiratory research. Thus, we compared these contributions in intact-chest mice, rats, and rabbits and further characterized the influence of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). Forced oscillation technique was applied to anesthetized mechanically ventilated healthy animals to obtain total respiratory system impedance (Zrs) at 0, 3, and 6 cmH2O PEEP levels. Esophageal pressure was measured by a catheter-tip micromanometer to separate Zrs into pulmonary (ZL) and chest wall (Zcw) components. A model containing a frequency-independent Newtonian resistance (RN), inertance, and a constant-phase tissue damping (G) and elastance (H) was fitted to Zrs, ZL, and Zcw spectra. The contribution of Zcw to RN was negligible in all species and PEEP levels studied. However, the participation of Zcw in G and H was significant in all species and increased significantly with increasing PEEP and animal size (rabbit > rat > mice). Even in mice, the chest wall contribution to G and H was still considerable, reaching 47.0 ± 4.0(SE)% and 32.9 ± 5.9% for G and H, respectively. These findings demonstrate that airway parameters can be assessed from respiratory system mechanical measurements. However, the contribution from the chest wall should be considered when intact-chest measurements are used to estimate lung parenchymal mechanics in small laboratory models (even in mice), particularly at elevated PEEP levels. NEW & NOTEWORTHY In species commonly used in respiratory research (rabbits, rats, mice), esophageal pressure-based estimates revealed negligible contribution from the chest wall to the Newtonian resistance. Conversely, chest wall participation in the viscoelastic tissue mechanical parameters increased with body size (rabbit > rat > mice) and positive end-expiratory pressure, with contribution varying between 30 and 50%, even in mice. These findings demonstrate the potential biasing effects of the chest wall when lung tissue mechanics are inferred from intact-chest measurements in small laboratory animals.


1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (5) ◽  
pp. 1979-1987 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Liu ◽  
S. S. Margulies ◽  
T. A. Wilson

Data on the shape of the chest wall at total lung capacity (TLC) and functional residual capacity (FRC) were used as boundary conditions in an analysis of the deformation of the dog lung. The lung was modeled as an elastic body, and the deformation of the lung from TLC to FRC caused by the change in chest wall shape and gravity were calculated. Parenchymal distortions, distributions of regional volume at FRC as a fraction of the volume at TLC, and distributions of surface pressure at FRC are reported. In the prone dog there are minor variations in fractional volume along the cephalocaudal axis. In transverse planes opposing deformations are caused by the change of shape of the transverse section and the gravitational force on the lung, and the resultant fractional volume and pleural pressure distributions are nearly uniform. In the supine dog, there is a small cephalocaudal gradient in fractional volume, with lower fractional volume caudally. In transverse sections the heart and abdomen extend farther dorsally at FRC, squeezing the lung beneath them. The gradients in fractional volume and pleural pressure caused by shape changes are in the same direction as the gradients caused by the direct gravitational force on the lung, and these two factors contribute about equally to the large resultant vertical gradients in fractional volume and pleural pressure. In the prone position the heart and upper abdomen rest on the rib cage. In the supine posture much of their weight is carried by the lung.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)


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