The Churchill–Cope reflex is a
reflex
In biology, a reflex, or reflex action, is an involuntary, unplanned sequence or action and nearly instantaneous response to a stimulus.
Reflexes are found with varying levels of complexity in organisms with a nervous system. A reflex occurs ...
in which
distension of the pulmonary vascular bed, as occurs in
pulmonary edema
Pulmonary edema (British English: oedema), also known as pulmonary congestion, is excessive fluid accumulation in the tissue or air spaces (usually alveoli) of the lungs. This leads to impaired gas exchange, most often leading to shortness ...
, causes an increase in
respiratory rate
The respiratory rate is the rate at which breathing occurs; it is set and controlled by the respiratory center of the brain. A person's respiratory rate is usually measured in breaths per minute.
Measurement
The respiratory rate in humans is mea ...
(
tachypnoea
Tachypnea, also spelt tachypnoea, is a respiratory rate greater than normal, resulting in abnormally rapid and shallow breathing.
In adult humans at rest, any respiratory rate of 1220 per minute is considered clinically normal, with tachypnea b ...
) by stimulation of the
juxtacapillary (J) receptors.
It was described in 1929 by
Edward Delos Churchill and
Oliver Cope.
[Churchill ED, Cope O. The rapid shallow breathing resulting from pulmonary congestion and edema. ''J Exp Med'' 1929; 49:531-537]
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References
Cardiovascular physiology
Reflexes
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