Priming cardiac function with voluntary respiratory maneuvers and effect on early exercise oxygen uptake

Abstract

Oxygen uptake (V'O2) at exercise onset is determined in part by acceleration of pulmonary blood flow (Q'p). Impairments in the Q'p response can decrease exercise tolerance. Prior research has shown that voluntary respiratory maneuvers can augment venous return, but the corollary impacts on cardiac function, Q'p and early-exercise V'O2 remain uncertain. We examined a) the cardiovascular effects of 3 distinct respiratory maneuvers (abdominal, AB; rib cage, RC and deep breathing, DB) under resting conditions in healthy subjects (Protocol 1, n=13) and b) the impact of pre-exercise DB on pulmonary O2 transfer during initiation of moderate intensity exercise (Protocol 2, n=8). In Protocol 1, echocardiographic analysis showed increased RV and LV cardiac output (RVCO and LVCO, respectively) following AB (by +23±13 and +18±15%, respectively, P<0.05), RC (+23±16; +14±15%, P<0.05) and DB (+27±21; +23±14%, P<0.05). In Protocol 2, DB performed for 12 breaths produced a pre-exercise increase in V'O2 (+801±254 ml·min-1 over ~ 6 s), presumably from increased Q'p followed by a reduction in pulmonary O2 transfer during early phase exercise (first 20 s) compared to the control condition (149±51 vs 233±65 ml, P<0.05). We conclude that (1) respiratory maneuvers enhance RVCO and LVCO in healthy subjects under resting conditions, (2) AB, RC and DB have similar effects on RVCO and LVCO, and (3) DB can increase Q'p prior to exercise onset. These findings suggest that pre-exercise respiratory maneuvers may represent a promising strategy to prime V'O2 kinetics and thereby to potentially improve exercise tolerance in patients with impaired cardiac function.

Women’s Respiratory Movements during Spontaneous Breathing and Physical Fitness: A Cross-Sectional, Correlational Study

“…The testing of respiratory movements was conducted using respiration belts (Vernier, Beaverton, OR, USA), which is a strap of fabric with a resistive stretch sensor embedded into it. Researchers used one or two belts to test the respiration rate [34], breathing maneuvers (abdominal breathing and chest breathing) [35], or respiratory waveform [36]. In the present study, we used two belts.…”