Harms and benefits of the diaphragm's eccentric contraction

The diaphragm, the principal muscle of the inspiratory pump, is part of a group of respiratory muscles responsible for ensuring alveolar ventilation to meet metabolic demands. In patients requiring mechanical ventilatory assistance, multiple factors contribute to its alteration and condition its performance during different stages. Some of the situations that determine its alteration are related to excessive unloading or insufficient assistance, secondary to the programming of ventilatory parameters; in both cases resulting in harmful changes to its structure and function.