La commande centrale de la ventilation

Ventilation is a mandatory physiological act to exhaust CO2. Ventilatory command sources in brainstem, within paired-generators. This automatic command is enhanced by cortical and sub-cortical command. Once generated, ventilatory command is dispatched throughout respiratory muscles by dedicated interneurons network. Both chemoreceptors and mechanoreceptors provide informations regarding ventilatory system state. Ventilatory command is enhanced by hypercapnia, mechanical constraint to airflow and fear. Conversely, ventilatory command is impaired by anaesthetic drugs and mechanical ventilation. One cannot dissociate ventilatory command from respiratory sensations, especially regarding ventilatory comfort.