The Forced Expiratory Wheeze

Abstract
When a subject exhales forcefully, a wheeze is usually heard during the latter part of the maneuver. The origin and mechanism of this wheeze have been the subject of speculation but have never been approached experimentally. A computerized frequency analysis technique was used to count the number of discrete frequency components making up the forced expiratory wheeze (FEW) in 10 normal subjects. The number varied from 1-5 implying a source in the larger airways. This supports previous theoretical considerations that relate the FEW to the so-called equal pressure point (EPP) in the larger airways. Since the EPP is thought to be determined principally by lung static recoil pressure, it can be surmised that this also determines (roughly) the number of wheeze components in the FEW.

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