[Pulmonary gas exchange during exercise in healthy subjects].

Introduction: The modifications of gas exchange on exercise reflect the consequences of the control and limits of adaptation of the respiratory apparatus to the mechanical loads imposed on the muscles and the oxygen requirements of the organism. In the majority of cases, even if the thoraco-pulmonary apparatus is perfectly adapted to the increase in these requirements, the balance between the metabolic demands of the tissues and the pulmonary supply appears difficult to satisfy beyond certain limits without hypoxaemia, particularly in those subjects with a low ventilatory response to exercise. Based on the populations reported in the literature the functional limits of the control of the thoraco-pulmonary system and the possible modifications of the structures of the lung are discussed for each of these mechanisms.