title: Total respiratory compliance in infants and young children with congenital heart disease.
abstract: The multiple occlusion technique was used to measure total respiratory system compliance (Crs) in 62 infants and young children with congenital heart disease (age range, 2 days to 2 years). Measurements were found to be reproducible in nine infants in whom repeat measurements were possible (maximum deviation between measurements less than 10%). The incidence of failure to obtain accurate results was no greater than when studying infants without cardiopulmonary disease. However, in the presence of severe growth retardation or alinearity of volume-pressure data, results may be difficult to interpret in individuals. Results of Crs were related to non-invasive assessments of cardiac disease severity using chest radiography and echocardiography. After the effects of growth had been taken into account, a significant negative relationship was found between Crs and the right pulmonary artery to aortic ratio, which reflects pulmonary vascular engorgement (P = 0.003, R2 = -0.40). However, no significant relationship was found between Crs and chest X-ray score (P = 0.27).
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Unit, Hospitals for Sick Children, London, England.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: S G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Fletcher
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Hatch
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Helms
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Stocks
mesh_terms: D001011:Aorta / Q000473:pathology; D001827:Body Height; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016018:Least-Squares Analysis; D008170:Lung Compliance; D008297:Male; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000473:pathology; D011859:Radiography; D012044:Regression Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests / Q000379:methods*