Pulmonary ventilation and blood gas values in emphysematous hamsters

Emphysema is known to progress in severity during the year after its induction by pancreatic elastase. A barometric chamber and indwelling aortic cannulas were used to evaluate the effects of worsening emphysema on pulmonary ventilation and arterial blood gases. Unanesthetized, unrestrained hamsters were studied 1, 5, and 13 months after panlobular emphysema was induced by intratracheal injection of porcine pancreatic elastase (0.2 mg in 0.5 ml of 0.15 M NaCl solution/100 g body weight). Lung volumes were subsequently measured in the anesthetized animals and the lungs were examined histologically and stereologically. The pattern of breathing in the 1-month emphysematous hamsters (n = 12) wsa the same as that of untreated control animals (n = 28) but the 5-month (n = 7) and 13-month (n = 6) animals breathed more deeply and slowly; there were no changes in mean inspiratory flow rate of proportion of time per breath occupied by inspiration. The PaO2 for all elastase-treated groups was significantly lower than the control but hypoxemia did not progress significantly with advancing age of the animals. The hematocrit was elevated for the 1-month and 5-month treated animals but not for the 13-month emphysematous animals. The arterial pH and PaCO2 values were not significantly different from control values in any of the three groups of emphysematous animals. We conclude that as hamsters with emphysema age their breathing becomes slower and deeper, that hypoxemia is present from 1 month onwards and does not progress and that hypercapnia is not found at any time.