Loss of functional residual capacity in poliomyelitis

¹ Respirator Service, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Goldwater Memorial Hospital, Welfare Island, New York City

Vital capacity, expiratory reserve volume, and functional residual capacity were determined on 11 normal controls and 25 postpoliomyelitis patients with a chronic flaccid respiratory paralysis. In general, the expiratory reserve volume diminished concomitantly with the vital capacity. As the residual volume was the same in the two groups the lost expiratory reserve volume of the patients had not been added to it. The expiratory reserve volume and functional residual capacity were significantly smaller in the patient group than in the controls. Relaxation pressure-volume curves determined for ten patients and eight controls indicated a loss of compliance of the thoracopulmonic unit of the patients somewhat greater than would be expected from the smaller functional residual capacity, implying some loss of elasticity in the lungs and/or chest wall in the disease process.

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