Ventilation and respiration mechanics in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in different body positions

The aim of this work was to study changes in mechanical lung properties in cases of COPD in general and in different zones depending on the body position.

Materials and methods. The research was performed in 37 patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the vertical and horizontal positions (VP and HP).

Results. The analysis of integral respiration mechanics has revealed a reduction in dynamic lung compliance and an increase in total non-elastic lung resistance during expiration (TNRexp) in HP vs. VP. At the same time, despite the increase in TNRexp in HP, the total work of breathing did not increase. Unlike healthy individuals, the COPD patients were characterized by the absence of differences in regional mechanical properties in both VP and HP. There were no differences in the respiration mechanics of the left lung, and the zones of the right lung only differed in the parameters of regional non-elastic work of breathing (NWBr ) that was increasing from top downwards: the indicators of NWBr during expiration and NWBr in the lower zone were higher as opposed to those of the upper zone in VP. As for HP, NWBr during inspiration, NWBr during expiration and NWBr were higher.

Conclusion. The data obtained contradict the prevailing opinion about an escalation in regional differences in ventilation and respiration mechanics under the influence of emerging focal and diffuse inflammatorysclerotic pathological changes in lungs and emphysema. 

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