Clinical Dyspnea and Cardiopulmonary Function Studies

Abstract

An attempt has been made to utilize the modern concepts of dyspnea producing factors as applied to a variety of cardiac and pulmonary diseases. In the cardiac patients, myocardial failure and pulmonary artery hypertension represent the two primary factors acting, alone or in combination, to produce dyspnea. At the first stage of the disease, both of them may be reversible as a result of conservative or surgical treatment, while their protraction will lead to increased lung rigidity of irreversible nature and permanent dyspnea. In bronchopulmonary diseases, the disturbed mechanical factors of breathing open the stage for dyspnea, while the appearance of pulmonary artery hypertension and heart failure usually represents irreversible damage. Although a good clinical approach is of paramount importance, it is clear that in most dyspneic patients, at least a minimum of relatively simple cardiopulmonary function tests are required for the correct understanding and adequate therapeutic approach. This minimum includes the spirographic record, arterial blood O2, pCO2 and pH analysis. For the evaluation of cardiac dyspnea, the cardiac catheterization is still the most useful tool.