摘要：Our concerns in this study are to examine the respiratory responses in using SouffleR, a newly developed incentive spirometer, and to discuss the clinical availability. The connector with a change-over cock and a transducer of the Respiromonitor-RM-300(Minato) were installed between a mouthpiece and a main body of SouffleR, and the conventional respiration and the respiration in using SouffleR were compared. 1) FETCO2 was found to be higher in using SouffleR, and that after using it be lower compared with the conventional respiration. This suggests that SouffleR may induce respiratory facilitation by way of not only chemical mechanism system but also volun tary behavioral system. In addition, it was found that; 2) VD/VT became lower in using SouffleR, 3) VT was increased by using it, which resulted in an increase in VE, and the elevated level was maintained even after using it, and 4) there was no remarkable increase in oxygen consumption in using it. From these, it was considered that an increase in ventilation efficiency was caused by changes in respiratory patterns, not by an increase in oxygen consumption. It was concluded that SouffleR can be available for the development of respiratory patterns and for thoracic expansion exercises.
