Arterial respiratory gases, dead space tidal volume ratio and venous admixture ratio, during resting and exercise, as well as ventilatory functions were measured in 198 cases of pulmonary tuberculosis and 27 cases of fibrothorax, and the following results were obtained.
During resting, there was no significant difference in alveolar ventilation between fibrothorax and pulmonary tuberculosis regardless of the extent of the lesions. However, during exercise it was greater in moderately advanced and far advanced pulmonary tuberculosis than it was in minimal cases. Dead space ventilation during resting and exercise was greater in far advanced pulmonary tuberculosis than in moderately advanced and minimal cases. In fibrothorax, dead space ventilation during resting was smaller than that in pulmonary tuberculosis regardless of the extent of the lesions, and during exercise itwas smaller than that in minimal and far advanced cases.
During resting, dead space tidal volume ratio in pulmonary tuberculosis was roughly parallel to the extent of the lesions, and that in fibrothorax was lower than that in pulmonary tuberculosis. By exercise loading, dead space tidal. volume ratio became smaller in pulmonary tuberculosis but was not significantly changed in fibrothorax. Dead space tidal: volume ratio during exercise was greater in far advanced pulmonary tuberculosis than that in minimal and moderately advanced cases, and that in fibrothorax was smaller than that in moderately - advanced and far advanced pulmonary tuberculosis.
Arterial oxygen saturation during resting and exercise was higher in minimal pulmonary tuberculosis than that in moderately advanced and far advanced cases and fibrothorax. In far advanced cases, arterial oxygen saturation during resting was lower than that in moderately advanced cases and fibrothorax, and during exercise it was lower than that in moderately advanced cases. Exercise loading brought about no significant change in arterial oxygen saturation in pulmonary tuberculosis but was lowered in fibrothorax.
Arterial carbon dioxide tension during resting and exercise, in far advanced pulmonary tuberculosis was lower than that in minimal and moderately advanced cases and fibrothorax. In pulmonary tuberculosis and fibrothorax no significant change in arterial carbon dioxide tension was brought about by exercise loading.
During resting and exercise, venous admixture ratio was proportional to the extent of the lesions in pulmonary tuberculosis and no significant change was resulted by exercise loading.
|