Pattern of breathing and gas exchange following oral almitrine bismesylate in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Almitrine bismesylate (100 mg orally) significantly raised PaO2 and lowered PaCO2 in six patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, compared to placebo, when they were breathing air or 28% oxygen. The estimated ideal alveolar arterial PO2 difference (AaDO2) was less after almitrine bismesylate compared to placebo, when patients were breathing either air or 28% oxygen. After almitrine bismesylate overall ventilation breathing air increased by 10% but this did not reach statistical significance. During 28% oxygen breathing, almitrine bismesylate hardly altered overall ventilation but the inspiratory duty cycle (TI/TTOT) decreased and mean inspiratory flow rate (VT/TI) increased compared to placebo. These changes were significant on a paired T test (P less than 0.05). The improvement in AaDO2 correlated with the rise in VT/TI (r = 0.67, P = 0.02) and thus we suggest that changes in both volume and pattern of breathing might explain the improved gas exchange in the lung after almitrine bismesylate .