ORIGINAL ARTICLES  EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CLINICAL MEDICINE 

The Journal of Sports Medicine and Physical Fitness 2016 April;56(4):450-7

Copyright © 2016 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Lung injury and respiratory mechanics in rugby union

Angus LINDSAY ¹, Angelique BERNARD ², Shaun M. DAVIDSON ³, Daniel P. REDMOND ³, Yeong S. CHIEW ³, Christopher PRETTY ³, J. Geoffrey CHASE ³, Geoffrey M. SHAW ⁴, Steven P. GIESEG ¹, Nick DRAPER ^{5, 6} ✉

¹ Department of Biological Sciences, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; ² Department of Mechanical Engineering, ENISE, Saint-Etienne, France; ³ Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand; ⁴ Intensive Care Unit, Christchurch Hospital, Christchurch, New Zealand; ⁵ Department of Life Sciences, College of Life and Natural Sciences, University of Derby, Derby, UK; ⁶ School of Sport and Physical Education, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

BACKGROUND: Rugby is a highly popular team contact sport associated with high injury rates. Specifically, there is a chance of inducing internal lung injuries as a result of the physical nature of the game. Such injuries are only identified with the use of specific invasive protocols or equipment. This study presents a model-based method to assess respiratory mechanics of N=11 rugby players that underwent a low intensity experimental Mechanical Ventilation (MV) Test before and after a rugby game.
METHODS: Participants were connected to a ventilator via a facemask and their respiratory mechanics estimated using a time-varying elastance model.
RESULTS: All participants had a respiratory elastance <10 cmH2O/L with no significant difference observed between pre and postgame respiratory mechanics (P>0.05). Model-based respiratory mechanics estimation has been used widely in the treatment of the critically ill in intensive care. However, the application of a ventilator to assess the respiratory mechanics of healthy human beings is limited.
CONCLUSIONS: This method adapted from ICU mechanical ventilation can be used to provide insight to respiratory mechanics of healthy participants that can be used as a more precise measure of lung inflammation/injury that avoids invasive procedures. This is the first study to conceptualize the assessment of respiratory mechanics in healthy athletes as a means to monitor postexercise stress and therefore manage recovery.