McFadden J P, Price R C, Eastwood H D, Briggs R S
Br Med J (Clin Res Ed). 1982 Feb 27;284(6316):626-7. doi: 10.1136/bmj.284.6316.626.
Measurements of respiratory rate in 82 long-stay patients aged 67-101 years yielded a normal range of 16-25 breaths a minute. In a prospective study of 60 consecutive acute admissions to a geriatric unit, 19 out of 21 patients diagnosed as lower respiratory tract infections had respiratory rates above the upper limit of normal on the day of diagnosis; the rise in respiratory rate preceded the clinical diagnosis. All eight patients who were diagnosed on admission as having a lower respiratory tract infection had a respiratory rate greater than 26, with a mean of 29.7 breaths a minute. Patients admitted for other conditions-for example, urinary tract infection-rarely had respiratory rates outside the normal range. Accurate measurement of respiratory rate is a valuable diagnostic aid in elderly patients.
对82名年龄在67至101岁的长期住院患者进行的呼吸频率测量得出，正常范围为每分钟16至25次呼吸。在一项对老年病房连续60例急性入院患者的前瞻性研究中，21例被诊断为下呼吸道感染的患者中有19例在诊断当天的呼吸频率高于正常上限；呼吸频率升高先于临床诊断。所有8例入院时被诊断为下呼吸道感染的患者呼吸频率均大于26，平均每分钟29.7次呼吸。因其他病症入院的患者，如尿路感染，很少有呼吸频率超出正常范围的情况。准确测量呼吸频率对老年患者是一项有价值的诊断辅助手段。
