ABSTRACTS Proceedings of the Anaesthetic Research Society Meeting

Ribcage motion was much less than abdominal, and the pattern of motion did not greatly differ in the four conditions. In most patients, movements of the upper and lower ribcage were synchronous, although some asynchrony occurred after naloxone, and during stimulation with carbon dioxide. During anaesthesia, the ribcage probably has little intrinsic activity and is ‘driven’ by the diaphragm and abdomen.