Development of respiratory muscle contractile fatigue in the course of hyperpnoea

To assess the development of inspiratory and expiratory muscle fatigue during normocapnic hyperpnoea, we studied fourteen healthy men performing 8 min hyperpnoea, 6 min pause, 8 min hyperpnoea, etc., until task failure. Twitch transdiaphragmatic (Pdi,tw) and gastric (Pga,tw) pressures were measured during cervical and thoracic magnetic nerve stimulation, before hyperpnoea, after every 8 min of hyperpnoea, and at task failure (i.e., at 25.3 ± 4.7 min). Pdi,tw decreased during the first 16 min (−28 ± 7%, p < 0.001) and Pga,tw during the first 8 min (−20 ± 7%, p < 0.001) of hyperpnoea without further change until task failure. During inspiration, the pressure–time-product of oesophageal pressure (PTPoes) increased relative to PTPdi during the first 16 min (+11 ± 21%, p < 0.05). Similarly, during expiration, PTPoes increased relative to PTPga during the first 8 min (+10 ± 16%, p < 0.05). Also, blood lactate concentration and respiratory sensations significantly increased during the first 8 min (+1.0 ± 0.5 mmol l−1, p < 0.001) and 16 min (breathlessness +1.6 ± 1.8 points, respiratory effort +5.9 ± 2.2 points, p < 0.001), respectively. We conclude that, during hyperpnoea, contractile fatigue of the diaphragm and abdominal muscles develops long before task failure and may trigger an increased recruitment of rib cage muscles.