Respiratory function assessment at the time of a new respiratory virus pandemic

Antonella LoMauro; Fabrizio Gervasoni; Arnaldo Andreoli; Andrea Aliverti

doi:10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106570

Respiratory function assessment at the time of a new respiratory virus pandemic

Respir Med. 2021 Oct:187:106570. doi: 10.1016/j.rmed.2021.106570. Epub 2021 Aug 10.

Authors

Antonella LoMauro¹, Fabrizio Gervasoni², Arnaldo Andreoli², Andrea Aliverti³

Affiliations

¹ Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy. Electronic address: antonella.lomauro@polimi.it.
² Rehabilitation Unit, "Luigi Sacco" University Hospital, Asst Fatebenefratelli Sacco, Milan, Italy.
³ Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informazione e Bioingegneria, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy.

Abstract

We must be aware that new respiratory virus pandemic can happen frequently. Standard lung function tests should keep their crucial role to assist the clinicians in the decision-making process, but they are at risk for the spread of infection because of the generated droplets. We used opto-electronic plethysmography to investigate the post-COVID-19 syndrome on 12 patients after ICU. We found normal ventilatory pattern at rest, a restrictive pattern located in the ribcage during vital capacity and surgical mask to significantly increase minute ventilation. The attention on unconventional respiratory function tests should be sponsored for the important information they can provide.

Keywords: COVID-19; Opto-electronic plethysmography; Pandemic; Respiratory function assessment; Surgical mask; Thoraco-abdominal volume.

Publication types

Letter

MeSH terms

COVID-19 / complications*
COVID-19 / diagnosis
COVID-19 / physiopathology
Humans
Plethysmography*
Post-Acute COVID-19 Syndrome
Respiratory Function Tests*
Respiratory Mechanics / physiology*