EIT was used to assess regional ventilation distribution in 10 healthy male volunteers across five body positions (supine, right lateral decubitus, prone, left lateral decubitus, sitting), exploring associations between posture-related ventilation redistribution and BMI, cardiothoracic ratio (CTR), diaphragm thickness change ratio, and diaphragmatic excursion (DE).
Lateral decubitus positioning caused the greatest gravity-dependent shift toward dependent lung regions, with more asymmetry in the right lateral position; subtle but significant redistribution was also detected in prone and sitting positions using Δ ventilation distribution analysis. Lateral redistribution correlated with CTR and BMI; sitting redistribution correlated with DE.
Very small sample (n=10 healthy males only), limiting generalizability to females, older adults, or patients with respiratory disease; cross-sectional exploratory design without clinical outcomes; EIT measurements were limited to a single thoracic cross-section.
EIT-based Δ ventilation distribution analysis can detect subtle posture-related ventilation changes even when gross dorsoventral patterns look similar — a useful framework for future studies on prone or lateral positioning in clinical settings. Body habitus (BMI, CTR) and diaphragmatic motion may predict individual ventilation responses to repositioning.
Explore related topics
