Near-Fatal Asthma

By Mark D. Siegel, MD, FCCP

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Figure 3. The development of DHI. In patients without significant airway obstruction (A), lung volumes return to FRC after each breath. In contrast, in patients with severe obstruction (B), particularly in the presence of hyperventilation, airflow limitation prevents exhalation to FRC between breaths, leading to gradual hyperinflation. As the lungs continue to inflate and the airways increase in caliber, a new equilibrium is reached at end exhalation, FRC'.

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