THE EFFECT OF OBSTRUCTION TO BREATHING ON THE VENTILATORY RESPONSE TO CO21

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Abstract
The increase in ventilation produced by inhaling 7% CO2 in O2 was measured in 6 normal subjects and 24 patients with emphysema. The ventilatory response was closely correlated with the ventilatory ability as measured by the maximum breathing capacity. This relationship was also demonstrated in individual patients when the ventilatory ability was improved by bronchodilators. In normal subjects the ventilatory ability was decreased to the level of that in the emphysematous subjects by airway obstruction. In this situation their response was similar to that of the emphysematous patients at various levels of CO2 concentration. It was concluded that the defect in the response to CO2 of emphysematous subjects is attributable to the decreased ventilatory capacity rather than to a change in sensitivity of the respiratory center.