Noninvasive documentation of emesis in cats

Area of Science:

• Veterinary Physiology
• Gastroenterology Research

Background:

• Emesis, or vomiting, is a complex physiological response.
• Objective, non-invasive methods for studying emesis are needed, particularly in preclinical research settings.
• Current methods for assessing emesis can be invasive or lack differentiation between retching and expulsion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate chest and abdominal wall movements as objective indicators of emesis in cats.
• To compare the efficacy of inductive plethysmography and magnetometers for monitoring emesis-related movements.
• To explore the potential of these movement recordings as a non-invasive research tool for emesis, especially in the context of cancer chemotherapy.

Main Methods:

• Monitoring of 36 vomiting episodes in cats using inductive plethysmography and magnetometers.
• Simultaneous recording of thoracic central venous pressure to validate emesis occurrence.
• Analysis of chest and abdominal movement patterns, including amplitude and rhythm, during emesis, retching, sneezing, and coughing.

Main Results:

• Inductive plethysmography provided stable, artifact-free recordings superior to magnetometers.
• Spasmodic chest and abdominal movements did not reliably differentiate retching from expulsion.
• Rhythmic abdominal excursions during vomiting were significantly larger than during other activities and indicated an increase in abdominal dimensions.

Conclusions:

• Chest and abdominal wall movements, particularly rhythmic abdominal excursions, can serve as objective indicators of emesis.
• Inductive plethysmography is a suitable non-invasive technique for monitoring emesis in animal models.
• This approach holds potential as a non-invasive research tool for studying emesis, relevant to understanding and managing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.