The understanding of the mechanical properties of the mammalian respiratory system and how they change under the influence of drugs and in disease are frequently pursued in small animals, since they can be easily obtained in large numbers as pure-bred strains. However, conventional experimental set-ups for studying small animals are generally limited in their ability to measure gas flow into the lungs. In this paper, we present a computer-controlled research ventilator for small animals which can provide conventional mechanical ventilation as well as arbitrary flow perturbations with a bandwidth from 0-55 Hz. Respiratory impedance is estimated from the displacement of the piston and the pressure it generates, thereby obviating the need for a direct flow measurement. The performance of the device was tested on mechanical loads whose impedances were calculated theoretically. The measured and predicted loads agreed within less than 5% up to 30 Hz. Furthermore, the measured impedance of two mechanical loads in series precisely matched the sum of their individual impedances.

The forced oscillation technique (FOT) is a powerful, integrative and translational tool permitting the experimental assessment of lung function in mice in a comprehensive, detailed, precise and reproducible manner. It provides measurements of respiratory system mechanics through the analysis of pressure and volume signals acquired in reaction to predefined, small amplitude, oscillatory airflow waveforms, which are typically applied at the subject's airway opening. The present protocol details the steps required to adequately execute forced oscillation measurements in mice using a computer-controlled piston ventilator (flexiVent; SCIREQ Inc, Montreal, Qc, Canada). The description is divided into four parts: preparatory steps, mechanical ventilation, lung function measurements, and data analysis. It also includes details of how to assess airway responsiveness to inhaled methacholine in anesthetized mice, a common application of this technique which also extends to other outcomes and various lung pathologies. Measurements obtained in naïve mice as well as from an oxidative-stress driven model of airway damage are presented to illustrate how this tool can contribute to a better characterization and understanding of studied physiological changes or disease models as well as to applications in new research areas.

We measured tracheal pressure (Ptr) and tracheal flow (V) in open-chest anesthetized paralyzed dogs. The lungs were maintained at a fixed volume (initial positive end-expiratory pressure 0.5 kPa) for 80 s while small-amplitude oscillations in V at 1 and 6 Hz were applied simultaneously at the tracheal opening. A bolus of histamine was given intravenously at the start of the oscillation period. The time course of lung elastic recoil pressure (Pel) was obtained by passing a running average over Ptr to smooth out its oscillations. The oscillations themselves were separated into their 1- and 6-Hz components, as were those in V. By fitting models to the 1- and 6-Hz components of Ptr and V by recursive least squares, we obtained time courses of lung resistance at 6 Hz (RL6), dynamic lung elastance at 1 Hz (EL1), and the difference between dynamic lung resistance at 1 and 6 Hz (RL1-RL6). In four dogs we studied the effects of histamine doses of 0.05, 1.0, and 20 mg. We found that Pel increased quickly and plateaued, RL6 continued to increase throughout the oscillation period, and EL1 exhibited features of both Pel and RL6. Furthermore, the ratio of RL1-RL6 to EL1 was qualitatively similar in time course to Pel. We explain these varied time courses in terms of the development of regional ventilation inhomogeneity throughout the lung as the reaction to histamine develops. In four dogs we also studied the effects of reducing the initial positive end-expiratory pressure by 0.25 kPa and found that the changes in RL6, EL1, and RL1-RL6 were greatly magnified, presumably because of the reduced forces of parenchymal interdependence.