Work of Breathing, Intra‐thoracic Pressure and Clinical Findings in a Group of Babies With Bronchiolitis

Stokes, G. M., Milner, A. D. and Groggins, R. C. (Department of Child Health, University of Nottingham Medical School, Queen's Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK). Work of breathing, intrathoracic pressure and clinical findings in a group of babies with bronchiolitis. Acta Paediatr Scand, 70:689,.–Total work of breathing was measured on 55 occasions on 26 babies with acute bronchiolitis using a respiratory jacket to measure tidal volume and a naso‐gastric tube to record oesophageal pressure. Work of breathing was increased six‐fold on average and on one occasion exceeded forty times the expected. Approximately 40 % of the intra‐thoracic pressure swing was positive relative to atmospheric. It was not possible to correlate the work of breathing measurements with detailed clinical assessments.