The ventilatory cost of certain activities performed by patients

(1) A method is described for assessing the amount of work done by the lungs during the performance of certain exercises and the effect of these actions on ventilation has been studied. (2) The ventilatory cost of defaecation using a bed-pan is higher than when the subject is wheeled to the lavatory in a chair. The use of a commode by the side of the bed entails less ventilatory cost than either of these methods. These findings suggest that the bed-pan has no superiority over other methods. (3) Taking a bath exerts a large ventilatory cost which is greater than that used by the subject walking ⅝ of a mile in approximately twenty minutes. (4) The ventilatory costs of some occupational therapy activities are described.