Comparison of arousal responses to tracheal and face mask occlusions in sleeping newborn piglets

The arousal responses after occlusion of the airway at the mid-trachea were compared with the responses after occlusion of the airway in a face mask in chronically instrumented 3- to 5-day-old piglets. For each site of occlusion arousal latency was significantly longer from active sleep than from quiet sleep. There was a significant increase in the frequency of early arousals after face mask occlusions compared with tracheal occlusions in both sleep states. During quiet sleep the frequency of arousal by 1 s after occlusion was 0.55 with face mask occlusions compared with 0.28 with tracheal occlusion (P less than 0.01). During active sleep the frequency of arousal by 3 s after a face mask occlusion was 0.32 compared with 0.08 after tracheal occlusion (P less than 0.05). Arousal from quiet sleep occurred before changes in arterial oxygen saturation. During active sleep mean saturation at arousal was not different between face mask and tracheal occlusions. Exposure of the upper airway to the pressures generated during airway occlusions results in earlier arousal in both quiet and active sleep, indicating a potential role for upper airway mechanoreceptors in initiating arousal in the newborn piglet.