Ex Vivo Porcine Experimental Model for Studying and Teaching Lung Mechanics

Mechanical ventilation is widely used and requires specific knowledge for understanding and management. Health professionals in this field may feel insecure and lack knowledge because of inadequate training and teaching methods. Therefore, the objective of this article is to outline the steps involved in generating an ex vivo porcine lung model to be used in the future, to study and teach lung mechanics. To generate the model, five porcine lungs were carefully removed from the thorax following the guidelines of the Animal Research Ethics Committee with adequate care and were connected to the mechanical ventilator through a tracheal cannula. These lungs were then subjected to the alveolar recruitment maneuver. Respiratory mechanics parameters were recorded, and video cameras were used to obtain videos of the lungs during this process. This process was repeated for five consecutive days. When not used, the lungs were kept refrigerated. The model showed different lung mechanics after the alveolar recruitment maneuver every day; not being influenced by the days, only by the maneuver. Therefore, we conclude that the ex vivo lung model can provide a better understanding of lung mechanics and its effects, and even of the alveolar recruitment maneuver through visual feedback during all stages of the process.