help button home button
AJRCCM
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Published ahead of print on July 11, 2003, doi:10.1164/rccm.200303-334BC
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Online Supplement
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
200303-334BCv1
168/6/714    most recent
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Man, W. D-C.
Right arrow Articles by Moxham, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Man, W. D-C.
Right arrow Articles by Moxham, J.
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine Vol 168. pp. 714-717, (2003)
© 2003 American Thoracic Society

Brief Communication

Cough Gastric Pressure and Maximum Expiratory Mouth Pressure in Humans

William D-C. Man, Dimitris Kyroussis, Tracey A. Fleming, Alfredo Chetta, Farzaneh Harraf, Naveed Mustfa, Gerrard F. Rafferty, Michael I. Polkey and John Moxham

Respiratory Muscle Laboratory, Guy's King's and St. Thomas' School of Medicine, King's College Hospital; and Royal Brompton Hospital, London, United Kingdom

Correspondence and requests for reprints should be addressed to William Man, BSc (Hon), MBBS (Hon), MRCP, Respiratory Muscle Laboratory, Department of Respiratory Medicine, King's College Hospital, Bessemer Road, London SE5 9PJ, UK. E-mail: william.man{at}kcl.ac.uk

Maximal expiratory mouth pressure is a well established test that is used to assess expiratory muscle strength. However, low values are difficult to interpret, as they may result from technical difficulties in performing the test, particularly in patients with facial muscle weakness or bulbar dysfunction. We hypothesized that measuring the gastric pressure during a cough, a natural maneuver recruiting the expiratory muscles, might prove to be a useful additional test in the assessment of expiratory muscle function. Mouth expiratory and cough gastric pressures were measured in 99 healthy volunteers to obtain normal values and in 293 patients referred for respiratory muscle assessment to compare the two measurements. Between-occasion within-subject coefficient of variation, assessed in 24 healthy volunteers, was 10.3% for mouth pressure and 6.9% for cough. Mean ± SD cough gastric pressure for normal males was 214.4 ± 42.2 and 165.1 ± 34.8 cm H2O for females. In 171 patients deemed weak by a low mouth expiratory pressure, 42% had a normal cough gastric pressure. In 105 patients deemed weak by a low cough gastric pressure, 5.7% had a normal expiratory mouth pressure. Low maximal expiratory mouth pressures do not always indicate expiratory muscle weakness. Cough gastric pressure provides a useful complementary test for the assessment of expiratory muscle strength.

Key Words: respiratory muscles • neuromuscular disease • abdominal muscles




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 ThoraxHome page
J. Steier, S. Kaul, J. Seymour, C. Jolley, G. Rafferty, W. Man, Y. M Luo, M. Roughton, M. I Polkey, and J. Moxham
The value of multiple tests of respiratory muscle strength
Thorax, November 1, 2007; 62(11): 975 - 980.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
J. Lim, R. B. Gorman, J. P. Saboisky, S. C. Gandevia, and J. E. Butler
Optimal electrode placement for noninvasive electrical stimulation of human abdominal muscles
J Appl Physiol, April 1, 2007; 102(4): 1612 - 1617.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.Home page
F. Nicot, N. Hart, V. Forin, M. Boule, A. Clement, M. I. Polkey, F. Lofaso, and B. Fauroux
Respiratory Muscle Testing: A Valuable Tool for Children with Neuromuscular Disorders
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., July 1, 2006; 174(1): 67 - 74.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 NeurologyHome page
N. Mustfa, E. Walsh, V. Bryant, R. A. Lyall, J. Addington-Hall, L. H. Goldstein, N. Donaldson, M. I. Polkey, J. Moxham, and P. N. Leigh
The effect of noninvasive ventilation on ALS patients and their caregivers
Neurology, April 25, 2006; 66(8): 1211 - 1217.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Eur Respir JHome page
M. Vitacca, M. Paneroni, L. Bianchi, E. Clini, A. Vianello, P. Ceriana, L. Barbano, B. Balbi, and S. Nava
Maximal inspiratory and expiratory pressure measurement in tracheotomised patients
Eur. Respir. J., February 1, 2006; 27(2): 343 - 349.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ThoraxHome page
W D-C Man, N S Hopkinson, F Harraf, D Nikoletou, M I Polkey, and J Moxham
Abdominal muscle and quadriceps strength in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Thorax, September 1, 2005; 60(9): 718 - 722.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 ThoraxHome page
D S Hui, G M Joynt, K T Wong, C D Gomersall, T S Li, G Antonio, F W Ko, M C Chan, D P Chan, M W Tong, et al.
Impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) on pulmonary function, functional capacity and quality of life in a cohort of survivors
Thorax, May 1, 2005; 60(5): 401 - 409.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Eur Respir JHome page
W.D-C. Man, J. Moxham, and M.I. Polkey
Magnetic stimulation for the measurement of respiratory and skeletal muscle function
Eur. Respir. J., November 1, 2004; 24(5): 846 - 860.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med.Home page
M. J. Tobin
Sleep-Disordered Breathing, Control of Breathing, Respiratory Muscles, Pulmonary Function Testing in AJRCCM 2003
Am. J. Respir. Crit. Care Med., January 15, 2004; 169(2): 254 - 264.
[Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
Proc. Am. Thorac. Soc. Am. J. Respir. Cell Mol. Biol.
Copyright © 2003 American Thoracic Society