The objective of this study was to investigate the synchronization between low-frequency breathing patterns and respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) of heart rate during guided recitation of poetry, i.e., recitation of hexameter verse from ancient Greek literature performed in a therapeutic setting. Twenty healthy volunteers performed three different types of exercises with respect to a cross-sec...

The relationship of respiratory sinus arrhythmia amplitude (RSA) to tidal volume and breathing frequency was quantified during voluntarily controlled tidal volume and breathing frequency and spontaneous quiet breathing. Seventeen seated subjects breathed via mouthpiece and nose-clip, maintaining constant tidal volumes at each of several breathing frequencies. Inspiratory breath hold was zero fr...

The mechanisms generating intrinsic or auto-positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) during controlled mechanical ventilation in a relaxed patient also occur during spontaneous breathing or when the patient triggers the ventilator during an assisted mode [1, 2]. These include an increased time constant for passive exhalation of the respiratory system, a short expiratory time resulting from a rel...

A new inhalation synchronised dosimeter triggered by low inspiratory flow rates has been assessed. The methacholine challenge test using dosimeter nebulisation with controlled tidal breathing was compared with continuous nebulisation using De Vilbiss No 40 nebulisers with deep inhalations in 11 asthmatic subjects. Within subject PD20 FEV1 values were lower with the dosimeter method than with th...

The investigators will design a system that uses an infrared camera to record the heat plumes associated with different breathing patterns in controlled experiments and then develop computer algorithms to process and characterize these heat plumes. To accomplish this processing, the recorded heat plumes will be sampled to capture the temporal and spatial information contained in the heat plume....

Pressure controlled ventilation, and pressure support for spontaneous breathing are often used in intensive care because coordination of the ventilator with patient efforts can improve comfort and possibly reduce sedation. However we report a series of 10 patients whose efforts did not synchronise with pressure controlled ventilation. This was incorrectly diagnosed as inadequate sedation, and t...

BACKGROUND There is currently no consensus on the indication and benefits of breathing exercises for the prevention of postoperative pulmonary complications PPCs and for the recovery of pulmonary mechanics. OBJECTIVE To undertake a systematic review of randomized and quasi-randomized studies that assessed the effects of breathing exercises on the recovery of pulmonary function and prevention ...

OBJECTIVE To quantify autonomic dysfunction in fibromyalgia patients compared to healthy controls using heart rate variability (HRV). METHODS Sixteen patients with fibromyalgia and 16 healthy controls were recruited in this case control study. HRV was measured using the time-domain method incorporating the following parameters: total heartbeats, the mean of intervals between consecutive heart...

The aim of this systematic review was to determine if diaphragmatic breathing exercise improves quality of life (QoL) in asthma. Electronic databases were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Data were extracted and risk of bias was assessed by two independent reviewers. Three RCTs were eligible for inclusion (254 subjects). Two studies compared diaphragmatic breathing exercise to ...

Background: There is currently no consensus on the indication and benefits of breathing exercises for the prevention of postoperative pulmonary complications (PPCs) and for the recovery of pulmonary mechanics. Objective: To undertake a systematic review of randomized and quasi-randomized studies that assessed the effects of breathing exercises on the recovery of pulmonary function and preventio...