Effect of lidocaine anesthesia on pattern of ventilation and pulmonary function tests

The pattern of ventilation (consisting of tidal volume, frequency of breathing, minute ventilation, peak inspiratory flow rate, inspiratory time, mean inspiratory flow rate, and inspiatory time ratio) and pulmonary function tests (consisting of spirometry, lung volumes, and airway resistance) were measured in ten conscious, healthy subjects before and after anesthesia of the airways achieved by inhalation of lidocaine, to determine the role of the vagus nerves in the control of eupneic breathing. No significant change was found in the pattern of ventilation or in pulmonary function tests after airway anesthesia. These results are consistent with the observation that the vagus nerves do not play an important role in the control of eupneic breathing in humans.