Airway pressures during crying in healthy infants

Maximal inspiratory and expiratory airway pressures (PI max and PE max) were measured in 100 healthy infants (51 males, 49 females; age range, 0.06-3.76 years) by occluding the airway with a suitable face mask during a crying effort. Mean values +/- SD for PI max and PE max were 118 +/- 21 cm H2O and 125 +/- 35 cm H2O, respectively. Maximal inspiratory pressure was independent of age, sex, and anthropometrics, while maximal expiratory pressure showed a low but statistically significant positive correlation with body weight (P less than 0.001).