title: Pulmonary function in acute cervical cord injury.
abstract: Measurements of pulmonary function were made on patients within 1 wk, 3 wk, 5 wk, 3 months, and 5 months of spinal cord injury. In patients with functionally complete transection of the cord between segment C5 and C6, the vital capacity was 30% of predicted in the first week after injury. Patients with injuries at C4 had smaller vital capacities. A significant increase in vital capacity occurred within 5 wk of injury with an approximate doubling of vital capacity 3 months after injury. Expiratory flow rates were directly dependent upon vital capacity. There was a high incidence of arterial hypoxemia, in the acute stage, even in patients with adequate ventilatory ability and normocarbia.
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005540:Forced Expiratory Flow Rates; D006801:Humans; D008168:Lung / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D012133:Respiratory Paralysis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D013119:Spinal Cord Injuries / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013147:Spirometry; D014797:Vital Capacity