Effects of Breathing Resistance on Resting Ventilatory Sensitivity to CO2

TL;DRAbstract

Abstract : Carbon dioxide partial pressure (PCO2) is normally tightly controlled in blood and tissues. However, if the respiratory controller also protects the respiratory muscles by optimizing for their loading, ventilatory response to CO2 may be damped when resistance to breathing increases. This has been observed during heavy exercise with resistive breathing loads. Also observed has been a lack of correlation between PCO2 at the end of the heavy exercise and resting ventilatory sensitivity to CO2. We hypothesized that the disparity was caused by a change in the effective ventilatory sensitivity to CO2 with resistance in the breathing circuit. In 16 Navy divers, ventilatory sensitivity to CO2 was measured at rest using Read's method. Measurements were made with the basic rebreathing circuit and with moderate resistance on the inspiratory, expiratory, or both sides. The resistance elements were designed to generate work of breathing per tidal volume of 1 kPa when minute ventilation w

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