Gain of the ventilatory exercise stimulus: definition and meaning.

The ratio G = delta VE/delta VCO2 where delta VA is change in ventilation and delta VCO2 is change in CO2 production, is often used to quantitate the ventilatory response to exercise and is the overall system gain (G). However, the actual variable of interest often is the gain for the exercise stimulus (GEX). Exercise stimulus refers to a stimulus or group of stimuli other than the mean levels of arterial PO2 (PaCO2), PCO2 (PaCO2), and pH (pHa) that act to increase ventilation during exercise. GEX will be equal to G only if the response to exercise is precisely isocapnic, normoxic, and without metabolic acidosis. A mathematical model was used to examine the relationship between G and GEX when 1) the response to exercise is not strictly isocapnic and 2) when the resting PaCO2 is shifted away from its normal value. It was found that 1) when the exercise response was not strictly isocapnic, G was a poor estimate of GEX and 2) when resting PaCO2 was changed while GEX wa assumed to remain constant, G was a function of the resting PaCO2. However, this dependence of G on resting PaCO2 is a system property that was caused by the nonlinear properties of the gas exchange processes and was not a fundamental property of the controller. It is concluded that G may not always be a good estimate of GEX and may lead to incorrect conclusions concerning the nature of the exercise stimulus.