ABSTRACT
Central to the study of the nature and function of the respiratory pump is analysis of the volume displacements produced by movements of the major structures of the chest wall. In this chapter, we consider the manner in which these displacements can be measured and related to lung volume change and respiratory muscle action and can also be used to estimate the mechanical work done by respiratory muscles. We draw heavily on two articles (Mead and Loring, 1982; Loring and Mead, 1982), which present the major ideas that are further developed here.
