Effect of ether on control of rate and depth of breathing in newborn rabbits

The effect of ether anesthesia on Hering-Breuer inflation reflexes of newborn rabbit pups was investigated. Studies were done at a level of anesthesia at which an apneustic pattern of respiration is seen in vagotomized animals. The hypothesis that increase in vagal influence on respiratory frequency is accompanied by increase in influence on contractile force of the inspiratory muscles was tested. Two aspects of the Hering-Breuer reflex, breath duration and airway pressure developed with an elastic load, were evaluated simultaneously. This was done by performing airway occlusions at FRC--the results expressed as percent slowing on occlusion and as effective elastance (E'rs). The animals were studied with and without anesthesia, before and after vagotomy. Anesthesia resulted in a marked increase in vagal influence on inspiratory duration (34% increase) and on total breath duration (36% increase). In contrast E'rs was decreased (20%) after anesthesia whereas passive elastance was slightly increased. The vagal contribution to E'rs was essentially the same before and after anesthesia (36-38%). Thus ether anesthesia increases one aspect of the Hering-Breuer reflex without changing the other. These findings are likely due to depression of the central nervous system rather than due to peripheral effects of ether.