Effect of abdominal compression on minute ventilation of patients with chronic obstructive lung disease and bronchial asthma.

The effects of manual compression of the upper lateral abdomen (C) of 73 cases of obstructive airway disease were studied in respect to the change in minute ventilation (V) 10 minutes after the procedure was performed. A mean decrease of 13% in V was found in the majority of 15 cases of bronchial asthma or chronic bronchitis and 43 patients with chronic obstructive lung disease. The use of manual compression as a therapeutic measure depends largely on the abrupt reduction of lung volume in cases of obstructive airway disease in which over-inflation of the lung is present as an acute or chronic disorder. The degree and duration of clinical benefit, i.e., relief of dyspnea, depends on such factors as the volume of air trapped in the lungs, broncho-constriction through pathologic change or bronchospasm and impairment of elastic recoil of the pulmonary parenchyma. The lowered V recorded 10 minutes after C is performed suggests that decrease in dyspnea is associated with enhanced efficiency of ventilation in some subjects with obstructive airway disease, including those with bronchial asthma as well as COLD. A brief description is presented of 10 patients with COLD in whom manual compression and other features of a rehabilitation program were employed. Mean length of life of five living subjects is 12.6 years after beginning of therapy. The mean length of life of five who died was 10.2 years after beginning of treatment.