Abstract
IntroductionWe previously published that the ventilatory drive in adult survivors of prematurity is impaired in hypoxic conditions. Previously studies in adult survivors of prematurity demonstrate impairments in expiratory flow that limit ventilation during exercise. However, ventilatory drive during exercise has not been explored. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the ventilatory drive during exercise, including exercise in hypoxia. We hypothesized that the ventilatory drive (VE/VCO2) to exercise would be limited in individuals born premature and not further impacted by hypoxia.MethodsPrematurely born adults (age 19–21) from the Newborn Lung Project cohort participated in two graded exercise tests breathing either 21% (normoxia) or 12% (hypoxia) oxygen. The term‐born control group was well‐matched in terms of sex, height, weight, baseline pulmonary function, and VO2max. We measured arterial blood gases, metabolism and ventilation at each workload to determine the ventilatory response to normoxic and hypoxic exercise.ResultsIn normoxic exercise, adults born prematurely have overall increased minute ventilation, compared to controls, explained by an increased frequency that compensated for their limited tidal volume. VE/VCO2 was also greater, suggesting reduced ventilatory efficiency. This is can be explained by the lower blood pH during exercise. In hypoxic exercise, the ventilatory drive in adults born prematurely is more similar to the control.ConclusionWe demonstrate the existence of a lifelong ventilation phenotype associated with prematurity that, contrary to our hypothesis, includes decreased ventilatory efficiency (increased VE/VCO2) and decreased blood pH. Prematurely‐born adults compensate for poor chemoreceptor function in hypoxic exercise via mechanisms currently being investigated by our group.This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
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