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The neurology of acutely failing respiratory mechanics
Author(s) -
Wijdicks Eelco F. M.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.24908
Subject(s) - medicine , respiratory system , neurology , muscles of respiration , respiratory physiology , intercostal muscle , nucleus ambiguus , anesthesia , anatomy , medulla oblongata , central nervous system , psychiatry
Forces involved in breathing—which effectively pull in air—are the diaphragmatic, intercostal, spine, and neck muscles. Equally important is the bulbar musculature maintaining the architecture of a patent airway conduit and abdominal wall and internal intercostal muscles providing cough. Acute injury along a neural trajectory from brainstem to muscle will impair the coordinated interaction between these muscle groups. Acutely failing respiratory mechanics can be caused by central and peripheral lesions. In central lesions, the key lesion is in the nucleus ambiguus innervating the dilator muscles of the soft palate, pharynx, and larynx, but abnormal respiratory mechanics rarely coincide with abnormalities of the respiratory pattern generator. In peripheral lesions, diaphragmatic weakness is a main element, but in many neuromuscular disorders mechanical upper airway obstruction from oropharyngeal weakness contributes equally to an increased respiratory load. The neurology of breathing involves changes in respiratory drive, rhythm, mechanics, and dynamics. This review focuses on the fundamentals of abnormal respiratory mechanics in acute neurologic conditions, bedside judgment, interpretation of additional laboratory tests, and initial stabilization, with practical solutions provided. Many of these respiratory signs are relevant to neurologists, who in acute situations may see these patients first. Ann Neurol 2017;81:485–494