Hyperinflation, Dyspnea, and Exercise Intolerance in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Expiratory flow limitation is the pathophysiologic hallmark of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but dyspnea (breathlessness) is its most prominent and distressing symptom. Acute dynamic lung hyperinflation, which refers to the temporary increase in operating lung volumes above their …