Respiratory Muscle Fatigue: A Cause of Respiratory Failure?

Abstract

Skeletal muscle [human or animal] fatigue occurs when rate of energy consumption of the muscle is greater than the energy supplied, so that energy stores are utilized and eventually become depleted. Five factors which are important in development of muscle fatigue (tension developed by the muscle, maximum tension the muscle can develop, energy stored within the muscle, energy supplied to the muscle, and efficiency of the muscle). These can be affected in many diseases, so disposing to fatigue; thus respiratory muscle fatigue is likely to be a common occurrence. Respiratory muscle fatigue can in principle easily be diagnosed at bedside by application of a simple electromyographic technique used to detect fatigue in other skeletal muscles.