Respiratory muscle fatigue.

The contribution of respiratory muscle fatigue to the development of ventilatory failure has been the subject of considerable interest and has stimulated much research. Experimental studies in dogs have shown respiratory muscle fatigue to be a cause of ventilatory failure in both cardiogenic and septic shock models. In clinical conditions resulting in acute or chronic hypercapnia, respiratory muscle fatigue is believed to occur; however, the specific role of fatigue has been difficult to prove.