Lab Report (resit) 400 words. 1st question of two - Essay Example

Effect of increasing workload during cycle ergometry on minute ventilation Uphill treadmill running and cycle ergometry are the effective methods tomonitor exercise-induced changes in several ventilation parameters, including the changes in alveolar gas concentrations. In turn, these can be attributed to many respiratory diseases. Minute ventilation is a measurable parameter, representing volume of air per unit time (minute) calculated as a product of tidal volume and respiratory frequency (number of breaths per minute) (1).

In the given experiment (option one), minute ventilation of healthy adults with high and moderate/low International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) under resting, warm-up and exercise states were compared. One of the parameters for IPAQ is calculation of Resting metabolic rate (RMR), incorporating fraction of inspired O2 and expired CO2 and O2 (2). Understandably, in the given experiment as the metabolic activity increased also did the minute ventilation values. However, in my opinion, the experimental design and statistical analysis need improvement to arrive to any conclusion.

In table 1a, for groups 1 and 2 subject characteristics are not defined. The SD values were quite large (> 10% of mean), meaning inconsistency in the values among the subjects. An explanation to this is gender difference in respiratory response during exercise (3), assuming that both males and females are considered as subjects. Besides, moderate/low IPAQ groups are clubbed as one in the statistical treatments but there could be variation between the individual groups as well. Instead of the "t" test, which is the test of significance between a pair, it would have been appropriate to carry out one way-ANOVA.

Based on the figure 1, a significant finding is that while in rest or warming up the inhalation of air is nearly similar, but during exercise, either the volume of air inhaled, or the number of breaths in low/moderate IPAQ group increases by far that of the high IPAQ group. Hyperventilation is an attribute set by three factors: metabolic need, lung's gas exchange efficiency or set point of partial pressure of CO2 (pCO2) (4). Since metabolic rates are as such low in moderate/low IPAQ group, possibly high minute ventilation is related to fever, pain or any kind of agitation associated with elevated consumption of O2 and high PCO2.

Prolong manifestation of this "ventilation error" could be setting of muscular fatigue and acidosis. Consequently, cardiac output may increase that might strain the ischemic heart. If such people have respiratory failure, artificial ventilation may lead to same pulmonary artifacts and considerable attention would be required to minimize the problems. Bibliography:1. Hoo, G. W. S. 2005, 'Minute ventilation: it takes time to get it right', Respiratory Care, vol. 50 no. 4, 459-461. 2. Maddison, R.

, Mhurchu, C. N., Jiang, Y., Hoorn, W. S., Rodgers, A., Lawes, C. M. M. & Rush, E. 2007, 'International physical activity questionnaire (IPAQ) and New Zealand physical activity questionnaire (NZPAQ): A doubly labelled water validation', International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, vol. 4:62, pp. 1-9.3. Guenette, J. A., Witt, J. D., McKenzie, D. C., Road, J. D. & Sheel, A. W. 2007, 'Respiratory mechanism during exercise during endurance-trained men and women', Journal of Physiology, vol. 581.3, pp.

1309-1322. 4. Marini, J. 2008, 'Minute ventilation - the neglected parameter', Focus Journal May/June, 72-74.