Breathe Easy Pediatrics Presents: Tidal Volume Episode 6 – RC Time Constants
ATS Breathe Easy
00:00
The Effect of Age on Respiratory Time Constants
In spontaneously breathing infants, the normal phenomenon of expiratory breaking increases the end expiratory lung volume./nThis is mediated by partial adduction of the vocal cords./nExpiratory breaking increases the expiratory time constant by increasing the respiratory system resistance./nFrom what we know in infants with healthy lungs, the time constants are shortest at birth and then increase until childhood./nAfter childhood and into adulthood, time constants stay about the same unless the child or adult develops a disease that increases the resistance and our compliance of his or her respiratory system.
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