title: Breathing pattern--gas exchange relation and acute effect of almitrine in severe chronic airflow obstruction.
abstract: Using a double-blind cross-over design, a single oral dose of 100 mg almitrine bismethylate and placebo were administered to 7 patients with chronic airflow limitation. In all patients, arterial blood gases at rest, ventilation and breathing pattern at rest and on exercise were measured before and 3 h after administration. Ventilation increased and PaCO2 decreased after almitrine; the mean PaO2 increase was statistically significant after active drug but the value increased more when tidal volume increased. It is concluded that in man the well-documented improvement in the V/Q relationship after almitrine is in part related to a pure ventilatory effect though the possibility of increasing ventilation by mainly increasing tidal volume.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Respiratory Diseases, University of Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Damato
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bellone
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Castelli
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mendoza
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Daniele
mesh_terms: D015765:Almitrine; D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011659:Pulmonary Gas Exchange / Q000187:drug effects*; D011897:Random Allocation; D012119:Respiration / Q000187:drug effects*; D013990:Tidal Volume
chemical_list: D000697:Central Nervous System Stimulants; D010879:Piperazines; D015765:Almitrine