Pulmonary resistance and maximal expiratory flow-rates following isoprenaline in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease

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Abstract
Stănescu, D. C., Clément, J., and van de Woestijne, K. P. (1973).Thorax, 28, 716-720. Pulmonary resistance and maximal expiratory flowrates following isoprenaline in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. Pulmonary resistance, maximal expiratory flowrates (measured from flow-volume curves), and lung volumes were measured in 17 patients with chronic obstructive lung disease before and 20 minutes after isoprenaline aerosols. Forced vital capacity, maximum expiratory flowrates, and pulmonary resistance all changed significantly following isoprenaline. Using a discriminant analysis, we showed that the bronchodilator effect was reflected almost completely by only two indices, pulmonary resistance and maximum expiratory flowrate at 25% of the control vital capacity. The information provided by each was independent. When the change following bronchodilatation is expressed as a percentage, pulmonary resistance carried most of the information and for practical purposes this index may be used alone.