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Airway reactivity measured by barometric whole-body plethysmography in healthy cats
A M Hoffman1, N Dhupa, L Cimetti
1Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Tufts University, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA.
Objective:
To assess the validity of barometric whole-body plethysmography (BWBP) as a means of monitoring airway responses to induced bronchoconstriction in healthy cats.
Animals:
8 healthy cats without history of bronchopulmonary disease or exposure to indoor tobacco smoke.
Procedure:
Cats were placed into a barometric plethysmograph with an internal volume of 38 L, and air flow was recorded at baseline and after carbachol (concentrations 0.005, 0.01, 0.02, 0.05, 0.1, and 0.2%) was introduced into the chamber. A dose-response curve was generated for several flow-derived measurements, and airway reactivity was determined by interpolation of the dose-response curve for enhanced pause.
Results:
Peak inspiratory and expiratory flows increased significantly, but respiratory rate, inspiratory and expiratory times, relaxation time, and tidal volume did not differ significantly from baseline values. Flow-derived measurements (pause, enhanced pause, and end-expiratory pause) increased significantly at carbachol concentrations > 0.02%. Baseline measurements did not correlate with indices of airway reactivity.
Conclusions And Clinical Relevance:
Airway reactivity can be measured by use of BWBP, which is noninvasive. Airway reactivity was highly variable among cats and was not a function of baseline airway caliber, suggesting that other intrinsic mechanisms may be important.