LUNG VENTILATION IN ELDERLY PATIENTS WITH CHRONIC-BRONCHITIS

The indices of lang ventilation and biomechanics of breathing were det ermined in 48 patients with chronic obstructive bronchitis (COB) aged 60-79 and 45 healthy subjects of the same age. Inpatients with COB a r ise of lung ventilation, work of breathing, ventilation equivalent, po sitive reaction to oxygen, a decrease of maximal breathing capacity an d reserve of breathing take glace that reflect excessive and uneffecti ve ventilation. limitation of its functional performance. These specif ic features are due to increase in tile total lung capacity at the exp ense of residual volume against a decrease of vital capacity with dimu nition of alveolar ventilation to lung ventilation ratio. But of decis ive significance was desturbance of bronchial patency manifesting in a decrease of Tiffeneau index, midexpiratory flow, respiratory flows in forced respiration. especially in expiratory phase, concavity of now- volume curve to volume axis, a rise of bronchial resistance.