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Biomedical subjects

W A Whitelaw

Publications and source records attributed to W A Whitelaw.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1976

Influence of lung volume and electrode position on electromyography of the diaphragm.

In cats anesthetized with Nembutal, electromyograms of the diaphragm (Edi) were recorded from an anchored esophageal electrode, a pair of silver hooks inserted in the paratendinous region, and a pair of silver hooks and a pair of clips of small surface inserted in the costal region of the diaphragm facing the rib cage at FRC but covered with lung tissue at FRC + 80 ml. When single supramaximal electrical stimuli were applied to an isolated phrenic nerve, changes in lung volume from RV to near TLC had a negligible effect on muscle potentials from esophageal or paratendinous hooks, but increased the amplitude of potentials recorded from peripheral hooks and clips. In addition, it was found that small displacements of the esophageal electrode caused substantial changes in the amplitude of the recorded muscle potentials. The integration of the Edi spontaneously generated during occluded inspirations, recorded from paratendinous hooks and the esophageal electrode was linearly related to transdiaphragmatic pressure up to 50 cmH2O at all lung volumes. Above that level, esophageal electrode recordings showed a curvilinear Edi/Pdi relationship, while hook recordings showed a rectilinear relationship.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Adaptation of anesthetized men to breathing through an inspiratory resistor.

Normal men anesthetized with methoxyflurane rebreathed carbon dioxide under two conditions. In one case they breathed most of the time through a low-resistance circuit and an inspiratory resistor of 40.4 cmH2O/1-s-1 was applied at intervals. In another case they breathed most of the time through the resistor and were allowed occasional free breaths. There were no differences between the two types of runs in tidal volume, respiratory frequency, duration of inspiration of loaded or unloaded breaths, or in amplitude or shape of occlusion pressure waves. It is concluded that the reaction of conscious men to an inspiratory resistive load, consisting of a compensatory augmentation of neural drive to respiratory muscles that does not depend on a chemical stimulus, is absent in anesthetized men.

Adult↗
PubMed1975

Occlusion pressure as a measure of respiratory center output in conscious man.

The output of the "respiratory centers" has been estimated by measuring ventilation, inspiratory muscle power, EMG of the diaphragm, and by various other means, each of which has serious disadvantages. The static pressure generated by the inspiratory muscles at FRC against an obstructed airway is here suggested as a useful alternative. Ten conscious, normal, sitting human subjects were subjected to CO2 rebreathing (Read, 1967) and their airways were occluded at end-expiration at intervals without the subjects being aware in advance. The inspiratory pressure waves so generated were found to be distorted by conscious or unconscious responses to the occlusion which had a minimum latency of 0.15 sec. The pressure generated at 0.1 sec after the onset of inspiration (P0.1) was nevertheless easy to measure and was reproducible in each subject. The CO2 response obtained by plotting P0.1 against PCO2, was curvilinear, the P0.1 increasing more rapidly at high PCO2. The P0.1 is independent of pulmonary mechanics. Since it measures the rate of rise of inspiratory activity and not the peak activity it is also independent of mechanisms that alter the respiratory pattern by affecting inspiratory duration, in particular the vagal volume-related inspiratory-inhibitory reflex. It is concluded that measurements of P0.1 represent a useful index of the output of the respiratory centers.

Airway Obstruction↗