Effects of High Altitude Hypoxia on Lung and Chest Wall Function during Exercise

Abstract

We have, more precisely than ever before, defined the mechanical limitations to normal exercise in healthy persons. In most instances in the normal or moderately fit individual, the ventilatory requirement is such that mechanical limitations are barely reached on expiration but not to inspiratory muscles in heavy exercise and fatigue of respiratory muscles is not a factor. The greater the level of physical fitness, the greater the maximum exercise load the greater the probability that mechanical limitation to flow on expiration and to pressure generation by inspiratory muscles on inspiration will be achieved over a substantial part of the tidal breath. This results in an even higher oxygen cost of respiration in these subjects that reach mechanical limitation. On the other hand, it is only in very rare instances that we observed that this mechanical limitation interfered with the provision of sufficient alvelor hyperventilation in these subjects to achieve adequate gas exchange and arterial oxygenation and acid-base regulation. Keywords: Exercise physiology; Breathing; Limitations to exercise; Breathing-mechanics; Respiratory muscles; RA III.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 27, 1990
Accession Number
ADA219814

Entities

People

  • Jerome A. Dempsey

Organizations

  • University of Wisconsin–Madison

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Altitude
  • Classification
  • Contracts
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Health
  • High Altitude
  • Laboratory Animals
  • Mechanics
  • Muscles
  • Physical Fitness
  • Physiology
  • Pulmonary Function
  • Regulations
  • Respiration
  • Respiratory Physiological Phenomena
  • Security
  • Skeletal Muscle

Fields of Study

  • Education

Readers

  • Cardiovascular Physiology
  • Computational Modeling and Simulation
  • Mathematics or Statistics