A comparative study of cardiopulmonary efficiency in athletes and non-athletes.

This study was aimed to determine during exercise the maximum related oxygen transport viz, maximum heart rate (max HR), dyspnoeic index (DI), oxygen pulse (O2 pulse), recovery heart rate in an athletic and a non-athletic group. Both study groups were subjected to graded treadmill exercise testing and pulmonary function test (PFT) was done using an electronic spirolyser. Results were compared and analysed. Significantly higher values in athletes were observed as compared to non-athletes regarding the following parameters: VO2 max, V(E) max, delta heart rate and max O2 pulse where resting heart rate, DI at VO2 max and recovery heart rate were lower in athletes while there was no significant change in both the groups in observed value of: MW, BR at VO2 max HR. The observations suggest an overall higher adaptability of the cardiovascular system and the relative refractoriness of the respiratory system to the effects of training and the maximum oxygen consumption in both the groups show similar values as that from otherparts of the country while MW, V(E) max, BR at VO2 and DI at VO2 max differ. A higher delta heart rate in athletes suggests a lesser risk for cardiovascular mortality in this group.

Effect of 2-5 years of tobacco smoking on ventilatory function tests.

Smoking is a pernicious scourge of the world today. There is paucity of literature on the effect of acute smoking on ventilatory functions. The present work is undertaken to study the effect of 2-5 years of tobacco smoking on ventilatory functions. The study group consisted of 30 male, young, healthy subjects, free from cardiopulmonary diseases and with history of smoking of 2-5 years duration, on an average of 10 cigarettes per day. The control group consisted of 30 age-and sex-matched healthy individuals who had naver smoked tobacco. The ventilatory function tests were carried out using electronic spriolyser. There was a significant lowering of the following parameters in smokers: Vital capacity (VC), inspiratory reserve volume (IRV), inspiratory capacity (IC), forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume at the end of first second (FEV1), maximum midexpiratory flow (MMEF), peak expiratory flow (PEF), midexpiratory flow75 (MEF75), maximum voluntary ventilation (MVV). This study shows that 2-5 years of tobacco smoking leads to a definite tendency to narrowing of both the large and the small airways.