[Respiratory flow and chest wall motion during negative extrathoracic pressure ventilation in human volunteers]

Respiratory flow and chest wall motion during negative extrathoracic pressure ventilation (NETPV) were compared with those during spontaneous breathing in 8 healthy male volunteers. Chest wall motion was evaluated by separate measurement of the changes in the cross sectional area of rib cage and abdomen, using respiratory inductive plethysmograph. During NETPV, expiratory flow was characterized by a large peak and a rapid decline at the early expiratory phase. NETPV increased the relative contribution of rib cage motion to tidal ventilation, and induced the abdominal paradoxical movements at inspiration in two volunteers. These results indicate that NETPV augments rib cage motion rather than abdominal motion, and this altered mechanics of chest wall may change intrapulmonary distribution of inspired gas.