Abstract
Respiratory gas analysis as an indicator for metabolic strain during exercise has
a long history. First introduced in the 18th century, huge gas collectors served for
the determination of oxidative energy delivery. While still being accepted as accurate,
this particular method delivers data of low temporal resolution only. Further developments
of gas analysis techniques therefore focused on a higher density of data. When algorithms
became available for indispensable calculations, the so-called “breath-by-breath”
(BBB) method was established some decades ago. Thereby, the term BBB in the narrower
sense means that a particular physiologic value is determined for each of a subject's
single respiratory cycles. Reliable application of this approach depends on the performance
of available computer systems, the quality of the analyzing software routines, and
the responsiveness of the gas analyzers. Thus, it appears that even nowadays technical
progress is continuing in this area. This review describes technical aspects and prerequisites
of the BBB approach and its specific areas of application.
Key words
Respiratory gas analysis - ventilation - breathing - mass spectrometry
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kai.roecker@msm1.ukl.uni-freiburg.de
