[Effect of chest physiotherapy on pO2 and pCO2 in premature and mature babies with respiratory distress syndrome (author's transl)].

pH, pCO2, pO2 and where possible DAaO2 determinations were done before, immediately after and 30 minutes after chest physiotherapy in 4 groups (respiratory adaptation disturbance, pneumonia, hyaline membrane disease--controlled ventilation and RDS--nasal-CPAP) of mature and premature infants and in a group of healthy infants. The most striking alterations of the parameters investigated were found in infants treated with nasal-CPAP and controlled ventilation where especially a decrease of pH and increase of pCO2 was observed. After small increases of paO2 immediately after physiotherapy the paO2 values and concomitantly DAaO2 values 30 minutes after chest physiotherapy fell below the levels before physiotherapy. There was no significant change from pretreatment values in any group of infants. A physiotherapist experienced in the care of infants with respiratory diseases is most important for achieving satisfactory results.