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Disorders of the Chest Wall: Implications for Respiratory Failure

  • Conference paper
Book cover Ventilatory Failure

Part of the book series: Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine ((UICM,volume 15))

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Abstract

The chest wall is a major component of the inspiratory pump and consists of the bony structures of the rib cage, the spine and its articulations, and the respiratory muscles and their nerves. The respiratory muscles are broadly categorized as either inspiratory or expiratory. The inspiratory muscles are essential for maintaining ventilation as well as for performing non-respiratory tasks. The major muscles of inspiration include the diaphragm, external intercostal muscles, parasternals, and other accessory muscles. Expiration in quiet breathing is usually passive but active deflation can occur by activating the abdominal or internal intercostal muscles. A variety of diseases can involve the respiratory muscles or any of the components of the chest wall. These diseases may by themselves, or in combination with other disease processes, cause acute (ARF) or chronic respiratory failure. This chapter will not attempt to review all these disease processes, but will instead focus on selected pathological processes involving the muscles (bilateral diaphragm paralysis), spine and its articulations (kyphoscoliosis), and bones of the rib cage (flail chest).

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Authors
  1. S. E. Eveloff
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  2. F. D. McCool
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. St. Paul-Ramsey Medical Center, 640 Jackson Street, St. Paul, MN, 55101-2595, USA

    J. J. Marini

  2. Department of Critical Care, Evangelismos Hospital, 45, Ipsilandou Street, Athens, 11521, Greece

    C. Roussos

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© 1991 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Eveloff, S.E., McCool, F.D. (1991). Disorders of the Chest Wall: Implications for Respiratory Failure. In: Marini, J.J., Roussos, C. (eds) Ventilatory Failure. Update in Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine, vol 15. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84554-3_13

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-84554-3_13

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-84556-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-84554-3

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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