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. 1983 Aug;341:477–493. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.1983.sp014818

Interaction of hypoxia and hypercapnia on ventilation, tidal volume and respiratory frequency in the anaesthetized rat

Patricia A Cragg 1, D B Drysdale 1
PMCID: PMC1195573  PMID: 6413681

Abstract

1. Ventilation (˙VE), tidal volume (VT), respiratory frequency (f) and arterial and end-tidal gas tensions were measured in seventy-one tracheostomized New Zealand white rats (∼ 405 g) anaesthetized with an initial dose of pentobarbitone followed by repeated small doses to ensure that a weak limb-withdrawal reflex remained.

2. O2 consumption (1.2 ml (s.t.p.d.) min-1 100 g-1), CO2 production (1.0 ml (s.t.p.d.) min-1 100 g-1), heart rate (357 min-1), ˙VE (43 ml min-1 100 g-1), Pa,CO2 (34 mmHg) and Pa,O2 (84 mmHg) in the control periods did not change significantly during the course of the experiment.

3. Inspirates of 21% O2 with 2-10% CO2, 15, 10 or 7.5% O2 with either no or sufficient CO2 to maintain normocapnia and 15 or 10% O2 with 4, 6 or 8% CO2 were tested. Steady-state responses were measured after 2 min of exposure.

4. Hypoxic—hypercapnic interaction on ˙VE, VT and f determined by a three-inspirate test ((i) hypoxia alone, (ii) hypercapnia and (iii) these hypoxic and hypercapnic levels combined) yielded various conclusions depending on the level of asphyxia examined. Essentially, the milder the asphyxia the more the interaction appeared additive or even multiplicative and the stronger the asphyxia the more the interaction appeared occlusive. However, this test is unsuitable for accurately showing interactions because the Pa,O2 achieved in asphyxia was higher than in hypoxia and the asphyxial Pa,CO2 was lower than in hypercapnia.

5. For isoxic conditions (Pa,O2 = 97, 77 and 51 mmHg), ˙VE and VT were related linearly to Pa,CO2 whilst f was related hyperbolically with convexity upwards (Pa,O2 97 mmHg) or downwards (Pa,O2 77 and 51 mmHg).

6. For isocapnic conditions (Pa,CO2 = 33, 40 and 48 mmHg), ˙VE and VT were inversely related to Pa,O2 with a hyperbolic curve (convexity downwards) whilst f was inversely and linearly related (Pa,CO2 33 mmHg) or constant (Pa,CO2 40 and 48 mmHg).

7. Multivariate analyses showed that the hypoxic—hypercapnic interaction was additive for VT but occlusive for ˙VE and f and the occlusion was more severe in the latter. This was illustrated graphically for the variable plotted against Pa,CO2 or Pa,O2 as parallel shifts in regression lines for VT, flatter regression lines for ˙VE during asphyxia and a virtually constant f during asphyxia.

8. ˙VE responses and sensitivities to hypoxia and hypercapnia, the shape of ˙VE, VT and f regression lines against Pa,O2 and Pa,CO2 and the type of hypoxic—hypercapnic interaction on each variable in the rat were compared with other species.

9. Possible causes of the occlusive hypoxic—hypercapnic interaction in the rat were considered.

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Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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