Airway resistance measurement during any breathing pattern in man

¹ National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland

A broadly applicable method for the quantitative and continuous measurement of airway resistance in man is described. It permits the simultaneous measurement of air flow (breath velocity) and alveolar pressure during any breathing pattern. Alveolar pressure is calculated from body plethysmograph pressure (plethysmogram) changes coincident with the compression and expansion of lung air during expiration and inspiration, respectively. The plethysmograph interior is maintained at body temperature and complete H₂O saturation. This avoids the errors in measurement due to plethysmograph pressure changes produced by temperature and humidity changes in the inspired and expired breath and also obviates the necessity of using only a panting type breathing pattern. Data on three normal subjects at near resting and near maximum breathing efforts are presented and discussed. This improved method, permitting airway resistance measurements during any breathing pattern, should find application in diagnosis and assessment of treatment of pulmonary diseases as well as in the investigation of several basic pulmonary function problems.