Fitting J W
Département de médecine interne, Centre hospitalier universitaire vaudois, Lausanne.
Schweiz Med Wochenschr. 1990 Feb 10;120(6):149-52.
Beyond a certain threshold of intensity and duration of contraction the respiratory muscles are prone to fatigue, and this process may preclude weaning from mechanical ventilation. Respiratory muscle fatigue can be detected by several techniques (maximal voluntary pressures, electrical stimulation, electromyography, muscle relaxation rate, analysis of breathing movements, occlusion pressure). The most reliable techniques are complex, but new noninvasive tests are presently under development.
