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Biomedical subjects

M Estenne

Publications and source records attributed to M Estenne.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Sternomastoid muscle size and strength in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) imposes a major strain on the respiratory muscle pump, and it is conventionally thought that the inspiratory muscles of the neck adapt to this chronic overload by developing hypertrophy. Yet previous anthropometric studies have shown atrophy of the sternomastoid muscles. To solve this discrepancy, we have measured the cross-sectional area of these muscles by computed tomography. Ten stable patients with severe airflow obstruction (FEV1 = 0.76 +/- 0.12 L) and hyperinflation (FRC = 210 +/- 29% of predicted) and 10 control subjects matched for age, sex, and height were studied. The sternomastoid cross-sectional area in the patients averaged (mean +/- SD) 4.29 +/- 1.48 cm2, and that in the control subjects was 3.96 +/- 0.82 cm2. This small difference could be entirely accounted for by hyperinflation, and it was not statistically significant. Sternomastoid muscle torque in patients was also similar to that in the control subjects. In patients with severe COPD, therefore, the sternomastoid muscles are essentially normal. As a corollary, their frequent prominence on clinical examination is only apparent.

Aged↗
PubMed1996

Rib cage dimensions in hyperinflated patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Using computed tomography we assessed rib cage dimensions at the levels of Th4, Th6, Th8, and Th10 in seven supine patients with COPD who were severely obstructed (FEV1, 25 +/- 7% of predicted) and hyperinflated (FRC, 234 +/- 34% of predicted) and seven matched normal control subjects. The midsagittal anteroposterior (AP) diameter, the maximal AP diameter of the right and left hemithorax, and the maximal transverse (T) diameter were measured on scans obtained at relaxed TLC, FRC, and RV. At each volume, AP diameters were invariably 2 to 3 cm greater in patients with COPD than in normal subjects, but no significant differences in T diameters were found. When compared at a given absolute lung volume, T diameters at all thoracic levels and AP diameters at Th4-6 were smaller in patients with COPD than in normal subjects; in contrast, at Th8-10, AP diameters were similar in the two groups. We conclude that the marked hyperinflation of patients with severe COPD produces complex changes in rib cage dimensions: (1) there is an increase in AP but not in T diameters such that the rib cage adopts a more circular shape; (2) at a given absolute lung volume, AP diameters are smaller in patients with COPD than in normal subjects in the upper but not in the lower portion of the rib cage. These differences in rib cage dimensions may have implications regarding respiratory muscle length and function in patients with COPD.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

[Functional respiratory physiology and physiopathology of lung transplant patients].

Lung transplantation results in dramatic improvement in pulmonary function which allows the patients to resume a normal lifestyle. When the lung allograft is free of infection and rejection, lung volumes and gas exchange are within normal limits after heart-lung and double lung transplantation, both at rest and during exercise. After single lung transplantation, lung volumes remain below predicted values and some patients show mild oxygen desaturation with exercise. Infection, acute rejection, and chronic rejection (bronchiolitis obliterans) produce an obstructive ventilatory defect. In addition, there is a bronchial hyperreactivity to cholinergic stimulation; this hyperreactivity might be related to airway denervation and upregulation of muscarinic receptors or might be triggered by the bronchial inflammation induced by rejection. Control of breathing is normal at rest, during exercise, in response to CO2 rebreathing, and during sleep. This indicates that pulmonary afferents play a negligible role in the control of breathing in adult humans. Most transplanted patients show a significant reduction in maximum oxygen consumption and have an early anaerobiosis during exercise; this response may be accounted for, at least in part, by a persistent state of physical deconditioning, and by an inadequate adaptation of cardiac output in heart-lung transplant recipients.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Effects of increased +Gz on chest wall mechanics in humans.

We studied the effects of head-to-foot acceleration (+Gz) on chest wall mechanics in five normal subjects seated in a human centrifuge. Results were compared with those previously obtained in the same subjects in microgravity during parabolic flights. In all subjects, end-expiratory abdominal pressure (Pga) and volume (Vab) increased with Gz. On average, end-expiratory Pga increased from 7.4 +/- 1.7 cmH2O at + 1 Gz to 14.9 +/- 2.8 cmH2O at + 3 Gz and end-expiratory Vab increased by 0.32 +/- 0.06 liter between + 1 and + 3 Gz. On the other hand, the abdominal contribution to tidal volume (Vab/VT) and abdominal compliance decreased from 34.7 +/- 5.9% and 52 +/- 6 ml/cmH2O at + 1 Gz to 29.3 +/- 5.1% and 26 +/- 4 ml/cmH2O at + 3 Gz, respectively. Changes in end-expiratory Pga were linear between 0 and + 3 Gz, but changes in end-expiratory Vab, Vab/VT, and abdominal compliance were greater in microgravity than in hypergravity. In contrast to weightlessness, which did not alter minute ventilation and tidal changes in Pga and transdiaphragmatic pressure, these variables increased with increasing Gz. These results indicate that, although changes in Gz have a linear effect on abdominal transmural pressure, hypergravity and weightlessness do not have symmetrical effects on chest wall mechanics.

Abdomen↗
PubMed1995

Persistent hyperinflation after heart-lung transplantation for cystic fibrosis.

We have measured static lung volumes after heart-lung transplantation (HLT) in seven patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) (Group 1), three patients with chronic hyperinflation due to diseases other than CF (Group 2), and six patients with primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) (Group 3). Total lung capacity was within normal limits at 1 yr after surgery in all patients. Similarly, FRC was within the normal range in Groups 2 and 3. On the other hand, patients with CF showed a persistent increase in FRC; at 1 yr after HLT, FRC averaged 4.13 +/- 0.52 L compared with a predicted value of 3.20 +/- 0.23 L (p < 0.01). The postoperative static pressure-volume curve of the lung in the patients with CF was superimposed on the predicted one, suggesting that the increased FRC originated in the chest wall. Additional studies with computerized tomographic scans demonstrated that the rib cage anteroposterior diameter at FRC averaged 12.1 +/- 1.6 cm in patients with CF, 9.5 +/- 1.2 cm in patients with PPH, and 9.4 +/- 0.7 cm in a group of healthy subjects matched with the patients with CF (p < 0.01). We conclude that after HLT, patients with CF show persistent hyperinflation due to rib cage expansion along the anteroposterior dimension. This shape change may represent a structural adaptation that occurs in response to chronic pulmonary hyperinflation acquired during rib cage growth.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1995

Regulation of breathholding time and sensation after heart-lung transplantation.

To assess whether pulmonary vagal afferents affect the duration of breathholding, the associated respiratory distress and their dependence on lung volume, we studied seven heart-lung transplant (HLT) patients with chronic pulmonary denervation and seven matched control subjects. Voluntary breathholds were performed at 20% and 80% vital capacity (VC) after rebreathing a 7% CO2-93% O2 gas mixture. Time to breakpoint, oxygen saturation, and end-tidal PCO2 were measured. All subjects were questioned on their sensations during breathholding; in addition, quantitative assessment of the sensations was obtained using a visual analog scale (VAS) in the seven control subjects and four HLT subjects. Breathholding time was comparable in both groups at each lung volume but was invariably shorter (p < 0.0005) at 20% VC (mean +/- SD; HLT versus control subjects: 68 +/- 29 versus 79 +/- 29 s) than at 80% VC (corresponding values: 92 +/- 35 versus 103 +/- 30 s). Similar results were obtained after anesthesia of intact tracheal and upper airway receptors in five HLT subjects. Six subjects from each group spontaneously reported air hunger and found it easier to perform breathholding at 80% than at 20% VC. The VAS ratings generally showed a maximum score at breakpoint, which implies that the distress increased more rapidly at low than at high lung volume. We conclude that in the absence of vagal afferent innervation from the lungs: (1) the air hunger form of dyspnea is maintained; (2) the duration of breathholding is not substantially modified; and (3) breathholding time and sensations still vary as a function of lung volume.

Adult↗
PubMed1995

Inert gas single-breath washout after heart-lung transplantation.

We prospectively studied the distribution of ventilation in 22 heart-lung transplant (HLT) recipients. At entry into study, the patients had undergone surgery an average of 6.7 mo earlier, and were followed for a mean period of 16 mo. Vital-capacity (VC) single-breath washouts as well as single-breath washouts using a 1-L inspiration from FRC were performed on a total of 395 occasions. The inhaled gas mixture consisted of 5% He, 5% SF6, and 90% O2, and the expired N2, He, and SF6 concentrations were analyzed. Six patients showed normal standard pulmonary-function tests and indexes of ventilation distribution throughout the study. Five patients gradually developed an irreversible airflow obstruction, presumably due to obliterative bronchiolitis (OB). They showed increases in the slopes of the N2, SF6, and He alveolar plateaus (SN2, SSF6, S(He)), but because S(He) increased more than SSF6, the slope difference (SSF6-S(He)) invariably decreased and became negative in four of five patients. Thirteen patients developed 16 episodes of reversible airflow obstruction as a result of acute infection or rejection of the lung allograft. The alterations in ventilation distribution were qualitatively similar to those seen in patients with OB. We conclude that: (1) ventilation distribution in the lung periphery is normal in HLT recipients with adequate allograft function; (2) the airflow obstruction elicited by OB and acute episodes of lung infection or rejection is accompanied by increases in SN2, SSF6, and S(He) and decreases in SSF6-(He)).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1994

Detection of blood chimerism after lung and heart-lung transplantation. The superiority of nested as compared with standard polymerase chain reaction amplification.

Migration of donor cells from the graft to various tissues of the recipient has been demonstrated after different types of solid organ transplants. Currently, the detection of donor cells in the recipient's tissues is most simply performed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a donor-specific gene. In the present study, we first determined in vitro the sensitivity of standard and nested PCR amplification with sequence-specific primers (PCR-SSP) of a donor-specific allele of the HLA-DRB1 gene and then used this technique to assess prospectively blood chimerism in two single-lung (SLT) and one heart-lung (HLT) transplant recipients. Standard PCR-SSP consisted in a single amplification round with sequence-specific primers for the donor-specific DRB1 allele. Nested PCR-SSP consisted in a first round of generic amplification of exon 2 of the DRB1 gene, followed by a second amplification round with primers specific for the donor allele. In vitro, nested PCR-SSP of the donor-specific allele was 1000-fold more sensitive than standard PCR-SSP and allowed the detection of 1 donor cell in 10(5) recipient cells. In vivo, standard PCR-SSP detected donor cells among the recipients' peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) only during the first postoperative days, whereas nested PCR-SSP demonstrated their presence until the end of the first postoperative month in patients 1 and 2 and until 3 months after transplantation in patient 3. We conclude that donor cells can be detected in the peripheral blood of SLT and HLT recipients during the first postoperative months and that nested PCR-SSP amplification of a donor-specific HLA-DRB1 allele is much more sensitive than standard PCR-SSP to demonstrate such chimerism.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Three-dimensional reconstruction of the in vivo human diaphragm shape at different lung volumes.

The ability of the diaphragm to generate pressures at different lung volumes (VLs) in humans may be determined by the following factors: 1) its in vivo three-dimensional shape, radius of curvature, and tension according to Laplace law; 2) the relative degree to which it is apposed to the rib cage (i.e., zone of apposition) and lungs (i.e., diaphragm dome); and 3) its length-force properties. To gain more insight into these factors we have reconstructed from nuclear magnetic images the three-dimensional shape of the diaphragm of four normal subjects under supine relaxed conditions at four different VLs: residual volume, functional residual capacity, functional residual capacity plus one-half of the inspiratory capacity, and total lung capacity. Under our experimental conditions the shape of the diaphragm changes substantially in the anteroposterior plane but not in the coronal one. Multivariate regression analysis indicates that the zone of apposition is dependent on both diaphragm shortening and lower rib cage widening with lung inflation, although much more on the first of these two factors. Because of the changes in anteroposterior shape and expansion of the insertional origin at the costal margin with lung inflation, the data therefore suggest that the diaphragm may be more accurately modeled by a "widening piston" (Petroll's model) than a simple "piston in a cylinder" model. A significant portion of the muscular surface is lung apposed, suggesting that diaphragmatic force has radial vectors in the dome and vectors along the body axis in the zone of apposition. The muscular surface area of the diaphragm decreased linearly by approximately 41% with VL from residual volume to total lung capacity. Diaphragmatic fibers may shorten under physiological conditions more than any other skeletal muscle. The large changes in fiber length combined with limited shape changes with lung inflation suggest that the length-twitch force properties of the diaphragm may be the most important factor for the pressure-generating function of this respiratory muscle in response to bilateral phrenic shocks at different VLs.

Diaphragm↗
PubMed1994

Neck muscle activity in patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

The present studies were designed to assess the pattern of activity and the frequency of activation of the neck muscles in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Using concentric needle electrodes, we thus recorded the electromyograms of the scalene, sternocleidomastoid, and trapezius muscles during resting breathing in 40 stable patients with severe chronic airflow obstruction (FEV1 = 0.69 +/- 0.18 L) and hyperinflation (FRC = 228 +/- 40% of predicted); 17 patients were hypercapnic at rest. When breathing in the seated posture, all patients (100%) had strong inspiratory contraction of the scalenes. In contrast, no patient showed inspiratory activity in the trapezius, and only four patients (10%) showed definite, invariable inspiratory activity in the sternocleidomastoid. These two muscles were silent in the supine posture as well, even though the adoption of this posture was associated with an increase in dyspnea in most patients. We conclude, therefore, that in contrast to conventional thinking, most stable patients with severe COPD do not use the sternocleidomastoids or the trapezii when breathing at rest. Additional measurements indicated that the sternocleidomastoid inspiratory activity previously recorded in such patients was in general caused by a cross-contamination from surrounding muscles.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Evidence of dynamic airway compression during cough in tetraplegic patients.

Although all the well-recognized muscles of expiration are paralyzed after traumatic transection of the lower cervical cord, tetraplegic subjects can still empty their lungs actively by contracting the clavicular portion of the pectoralis major. It is not known, however, whether contraction of this muscle bundle may raise pleural pressure enough to cause dynamic compression of the intrathoracic airways, which is critical for the production of an effective cough. To investigate this question, we measured expiratory flow rate and esophageal pressure during a series of forced expiratory vital capacity (VC) maneuvers in twelve subjects with C5-8 traumatic tetraplegia and constructed isovolume-pressure flow (IVPF) curves. The curves were interpretable with certainty in nine patients. Three of them did not show any plateau of flow. On the other hand, six patients had clearcut plateaus of flow on all IVPF curves between 80-60 and 20% VC, suggesting they had dynamic airway compression. Videoendoscopic recordings in two patients confirmed trachea and main bronchi collapse during forced expiration and cough. We conclude, therefore, that contraction of the pectoralis major causes dynamic airway compression during expiratory efforts in a substantial proportion of tetraplegic subjects. Increasing the pressure-generating capacity of this muscle might thus improve the effectiveness of cough and reduce the prevalence of bronchopulmonary infections.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Lung volume restriction in patients with chronic respiratory muscle weakness: the role of microatelectasis.

BACKGROUND: It is well established that patients with longstanding weakness of the respiratory muscles have a reduction in lung distensibility. Although this occurs in most patients without any radiographic changes suggesting parenchymal lung disease, it has been attributed to the development of microatelectasis. METHODS: A high resolution computed tomographic (CT) scanner was used in eight patients with traumatic tetraplegia and six patients with generalised neuromuscular disorders to look for areas of atelectasis. With the patient in the supine posture scans of 1 mm thickness were obtained at total lung capacity at intervals of 1 cm from the apex to the base of the lung. RESULTS: Vital capacity, total lung capacity, and inspiratory muscle strength were reduced to a mean of 59.5%, 73.9%, and 51.1% of predicted values, respectively. Static expiratory lung compliance was decreased in 12 of the 14 patients and averaged 69.1% of the predicted value. The CT scans revealed only small areas of atelectasis in one tetraplegic patient and in one patient with a generalised neuromuscular disorder; no parenchymal abnormality was seen in the other 12 patients. CONCLUSIONS: In many patients with chronic weakness of the respiratory muscles the reduced lung distensibility does not appear to be caused by microatelectasis. It might be related to alterations in elasticity of the lung tissue.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Severe hemolysis due to a donor anti-D antibody after heart-lung transplantation. Association with lung and blood chimerism.

Hemolysis due to donor-derived red cell antibodies is a potential complication after minor ABO-mismatched solid organ transplantation. It has also been described in Rh-positive recipients receiving organs from previously isoimmunized Rh-negative donors. We report on a group O, Rh(D)-positive patient who received a heart-lung transplant from a group O, Rh(D)-negative donor presenting an anti-D antibody. Severe hemolytic anemia developed in the early postoperative period and lasted for 3 mo. Anti-D antibodies that were of donor origin were found in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid and serum. In addition, using the polymerase chain reaction for human leukocyte antigen class II genotyping, we were able to demonstrate the presence of a mixed population of donor and recipient cells in the lungs and the peripheral blood of the recipient. The chimeric state in the blood persisted until at least the fifty-seventh postoperative day. This first case report of hemolysis due to Rh(D) antibody after heart-lung transplantation emphasizes the need for routine red cell antibody screening of donors and for close monitoring of signs of red cell destruction in the recipient in cases of pretransplant donor isoimmunization.

Adult↗