The ventilatory pump in exercise.

The response of the ventilatory pump during exercise in health and in patients with COPD is reviewed. The authors' hope is that the pump's response to the stress of exercise will be seen to be efficiently matched to the demands placed on it, even though in disease or under some extreme circumstances in normal subjects it may be stretched to (or beyond) its capacity. From a review of the literature, suggestions are made for directions for future research.