The low-frequency dependence of respiratory system resistance and elastance in normal dogs

The resistance (R) and elastance (E) of the respiratory system were determined by fitting the equation: pressure = R x flow + E x volume to data obtained from normal anesthetized/paralyzed dogs during mechanical ventilation at different frequencies (5 to 50 breaths per min) and tidal volumes. R exhibited a 50% decrease with increasing frequency while E showed a less marked but still distinct increase with frequency. Volume-time profiles were also recorded in the same animals during passive expiration, and the frequency dependence of resistance and elastance from 0 to 1 Hz predicted from the bi-exponential curves fitted to the profiles. The way in which resistance and elastance were predicted to vary with frequency was similar to the variations determined from regular ventilation data. There were, however, some systematic differences between the actual values of resistance and elastance obtained by the two methods which may reflect certain nonlinear characteristics of the respiratory system such as static hysteresis. Nonlinearities were also evident in that both the resistances and the elastances at all frequencies showed a slight decrease with increasing tidal volume. We conclude that a large part of the mechanical behaviour of the normal canine respiratory system at low frequencies can be accounted for in terms of a two-compartment model describing a homogeneous alveolar region surrounded by viscoelastic tissue.