Effects of airway occlusion at functional residual capacity in pentobarbital-anesthetized kittens

The effects or airway occlusion at the end of inspiration on timing parameters and the "integrated" phrenic activity were studied in 1- to 21-day-old kittens at two levels of pentobarbital anesthesia before and after bilateral vagotomy. In intact kittens during the first 2 wk of life, instead of the classical effects of airway occlusion at functional residual capacity (FRC), shortening of both inspiration and expiration, a decrease in amplitude and rate of rise of the integrated phrenic activity, or augmented breaths were recorded. These effects were not altered by an additional dose of pentobarbital sodium. In kittens of all ages, airway occlusion performed after bilateral vagotomy had no significant effects on either timing and phrenic activity. Therefore, vagally mediated reflexes are probably responsible for the paradoxical effects of airway occlusion at FRC. However, a possible contribution of the chest wall receptors cannot be excluded.