Effects of electrode position on esophageal diaphragmatic EMG in humans

The effects of electrode position and gastric-balloon anchoring on esophageal diaphragmatic EMG (EMGdi) responses to CO2 rebreathing were studied in seven normal sitting humans using an esophageal catheter that consisted of four platinum wire coils enabling simultaneous recording of three EMGdi signals from three different sites in the esophagus. A gastric balloon attached to the distal end of the catheter allowed anchoring of the catheter. EMGdi signals were quantitated as a moving time average. Two rebreathing experiments were performed with and without balloon anchoring on the same day. Changes in electrode position of at least 2 cm above the site of maximum EMGdi activity caused minimal changes in the moving average EMGdi and did not significantly effect the quantitated EMGdi response to CO2 rebreathing. The maximum EMGdi activity was approximately 2 cm above the gastroesophageal junction in sitting humans. Stabilization of the catheter with an inflated gastric balloon did not improve the reproducibility of the EMGdi data. Finally, the EMGdi response to two CO2 rebreathing runs done at the same sitting showed intraindividual reproducibility.