Question

During strenuous exercise, tv plateaus at about 60% of vc but minute ventilation continues to increase. explain how that would occur.

Answer 1

The body is made to adapt; so it tries to adapt to its current environment. The breathing rate increases to help add more oxygen into the system, slowly boosting endurance as a survival mechanism from ages ago when we actually had to outrun predators. It was likely more efficient back then.

Answer 2

The elevation in the residual volume, which takes place leads to a corresponding reduction in the expiratory reserve volume and inspiratory reserve volume. Though at rest, the total volume is large enough to offer enough concentration of oxygen required by the tissues and to eradicate the carbon dioxide produced by the tissues.

The enhanced strenuous exercise like climbing a flight of stairs needs more oxygen and produces more carbon dioxide. However, as resting inspiratory reserve volume and expiratory reserve volume have diminished, the total volume cannot enhance much to meet the gas exchange requirement of the body and the person becomes short of breath.