title: Cardiorespiratory Interactions in Paediatrics: 'It's (almost always) the circulation stupid!'
abstract: The interaction of the heart and lungs is probably the most important aspect of life and survival. Fortunately, it is not difficult to understand the fundamentals. The purpose of the lungs and their ventilation is to present oxygen to the circulation via the alveoli and to receive carbon dioxide from the circulation and then expel it. The relations of the heart and lungs and the matching of blood flow to the various organs with ventilation and lung perfusion may be disrupted by a variety of congenital or acquired heart malformations. They include those giving rise to an increased or reduced pulmonary blood flow, elevated pulmonary venous pressure or external physical pressure on the airways or lung parenchyma. Respiratory disorders which compromise cardiac function include states with reduced alveolar ventilation, those with a barrier to ventilation or perfusion, ventilation/perfusion mismatch and pulmonary vascular disease. There is also a fascinating group in which congenital disorders of the heart and lung co-exist to produce very particular modes of abnormal cardiopulmonary interaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of paediatric cardiology, Royal Brompton Hospital, London SW3 6NP, UK. Electronic address: michael.rigby@rbht.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Rigby
authors.affiliation: Department of respiratory paediatrics, Royal Brompton Hospital, London SW3 6NP, UK. Electronic address: m.rosenthal@rbht.nhs.uk.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
mesh_terms: D000015:Abnormalities, Multiple / Q000503:physiopathology; D001997:Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia / Q000503:physiopathology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000503:physiopathology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004314:Down Syndrome / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000150:complications / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007223:Infant; D008168:Lung / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000503:physiopathology; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation / Q000502:physiology*; D011664:Pulmonary Valve / Q000002:abnormalities; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation / Q000502:physiology*; D012587:Scimitar Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology; D000071078:Stenosis, Pulmonary Vein / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: Circulation; Ventilation; matching