The European respiratory journal : official journal of the European Society for Clinical Respiratory Physiology
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Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Mouth occlusion pressure, CO2 response and hypercapnia in severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The resting mouth occlusion pressure 0.1 s after onset of inspiration (P0.1) and minute ventilation (V'E) and their response to CO2 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) remain controversial. The ventilatory drive and the factors that predict resting arterial CO2 tension (Pa,CO2) were studied in 19 eucapnic and 14 hypercapnic severe COPD patients, and 20 controls. The CO2 response was evaluated by the Read technique. ⋯ Irrespective of CO2 level, baseline central drive (represented by the mouth occlusion and pleural pressures) and CO2 response are preserved in most patients with severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Effective ventilation is inadequate in the more severely obstructed patients and this results in hypercapnia. Neuroventilatory coupling failure is an attractive explanation for chronic hypercapnia in these patients.