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Occasional review
Surgery and the respiratory muscles
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  1. N M Siafakasa,
  2. I Mitrouskaa,
  3. D Bourosa,
  4. D Georgopoulosb
  1. aDepartment of Thoracic Medicine, bIntensive Care Unit, cUniversity of Crete Medical School, 71110 Heraklion, Crete, Greece
  1. Professor N M Siafakas.

https://doi.org/10.1136/thx.54.5.458

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    Respiratory muscles are the only skeletal muscles vital to life. Surgical procedures can affect the respiratory muscles by a number of pathophysiological mechanisms including thoracoabdominal mechanics, reflexes, neuromechanical coupling, and loss of muscular integrity. Impairment of respiratory muscle function after surgery may lead to postoperative complications such as hypoventilation, hypoxia, atelectasis, and infections, some of which may be life threatening. In this paper we review surgery that impairs the function of the respiratory muscles—namely cardiac, thoracic, and upper abdominal surgery. Therapeutic interventions or protective measures for respiratory muscles during or after each type of surgery are also briefly addressed. Lung transplantation and lung volume reduction surgery are discussed, since both have been shown to improve the function of respiratory muscles, and possible pathophysiological mechanisms are reviewed. The preoperative assessment of respiratory muscle function is also considered. Furthermore, when postoperative pulmonary complications occur it is worth considering whether the cause could be dysfunction of the respiratory muscles and thus a proper assessment of their function is needed.

    Function of the respiratory muscles

    The most important function of the respiratory muscles is breathing since they are the motor arm of the respiratory system. Breathing, a lifelong task, is borne mainly by the inspiratory muscles, especially the diaphragm. The other inspiratory muscles contribute little to quiet breathing but are recruited when higher levels of ventilation are required, such as in exercise and obstructive or restrictive lung disease. The expiratory muscles are not usually used during breathing except at high levels of ventilatory effort. A second function of the respiratory muscles is to perform explosive manoeuvres such as coughing and vomiting. The respiratory muscles also have a role as stabilisers of the thorax and abdomen since they take part in the formation of the thoracic and abdominal walls. Respiratory muscle function depends on the function of the respiratory centres, …

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