Effect of upper airway pressure pulses on breathing pattern

Importance of the time of application of upper airway pressure pulses on breathing pattern was investigated in 19 anesthetized, spontaneously breathing rabbits. The upper airway was functionally isolated into a closed system. A servo-respirator, triggered by the inspiratory activity of the diaphragm, was used to apply pressure pulses to the isolated upper airway. Negative pressure pulses of -5, -10, and -15 cm H2O when applied in early inspiration (within the first half) produced a reversible inhibition of inspiration in most trails (86.2%). This resulted in a prolongation of inspiratory duration (TI) and a decrease in mean inspiratory drive (P.Dia/TI) whereas peak diaphragm (P.Dia) activity and expiratory duration (TE) remained largely unaffected. In the remaining 13.8% of trials, an irreversible inhibition with short TI and reduced P.Dia activity was observed. In contrast, with late application of negative pressure pulses the only significant change was a shortening of TI. When positive pressure pulses were applied during expiration, no significant change in TE occurred with either early or late application. A significant prolongation of subsequent TI was seen irrespective of the time of positive pressure application. These results indicate that time of application during the respiratory cycle is an important variable in determining the response to upper airway pressure pulses.