Relative coordinations within the cardiorespiratory system

Relative coordination is an essential property of complex physiological systems which enable it to act both flexibly and with stability. This concept enables the instantaneous adjustment of the system state behavior to changing internal and external influences in order to guarantee particular set points such as the metabolic state of the organism, Within the cardiovascular-respiratory system the cardiorespiratory interrelations represent one aspect of corresponding coordinations. The phase shifts between the onset of inspiration and the consecutive heart beats were investigated during the metronomic and spontaneous breathing of volunteers. By means of a graphic analysis, relative coordinations were found, Furthermore, there were some indications of intermittent phase synchronizations which are particular aspect of relative coordinations. These results were similar during metronomic and spontaneous breathing. It can be concluded that these cardiorespiratory interactions which are essentially mediated by the autonomous nervous system correspond to the properties of the intermittency theory of relative coordination