Effects of soman (pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate) on coronary blood flow and cardiac function in swine.

The effects of soman (pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate) on coronary blood flow, the electrocardiogram, and cardiac function were measured in alpha-chloralose-anesthetized swine. Coronary blood flow (CBF), mean arterial blood pressure (MAP), peak systolic left ventricular pressure (IVP), maximum rate of left ventricular pressure development (dP/dtmax), cardiac output, and the ECG were monitored continuously. A dose of 2X LD50 of soman (1 LD50 = 4.6 micrograms/kg) was given at 1 LD50/min in the femoral vein, which produced an increase in coronary sinus plasma acetylcholine (ACh) from a control of 0.7 +/- 0.01 nmol/ml to a maximum 314% of control at 15 min and a decrease in CBF from a control of 99 +/- 13 ml/min/100 g to a minimum 55% of control at 15 min. The increase in ACh in the coronary sinus was significantly correlated with a decrease in CBF (r = -0.87, p < 0.001). The fall in CBF was accompanied by concomitant decreases in IVP, MAP, and dP/dtmax, with S-T segment elevation and ventricular fibrillation. The increase in coronary sinus acetylcholine concentration was significantly correlated with a 10-fold fall in coronary sinus acetylcholinesterase levels from a control of 2.47 +/- 0.97 mol acetylcholine hydrolyzed/ml blood/min and was consistent with the time course for the reduced hemodynamic measurements. These studies support the hypothesis that acetylcholine increases following soman toxicity may decrease coronary blood flow, thereby initiating ischemic electrocardiographic changes and reducing cardiac function.

Regional volume changes in canine lungs suspended in air.

NASA: The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of the absence of a pleural pressure gradient (simulating the presumed condition found in microgravity) upon regional expansion of the lung. We attempted to produce a uniform pressure over the surface of the lung by suspending excised lungs in air. Such studies should help determine whether or not absence of a pleural pressure gradient leads to uniform ventilation. A preparation in which there is no pleural pressure gradient should also be useful in studying non-gravitational effects on ventilation distribution.^ieng

Differential response of dog and pig tracheal smooth muscle to the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor soman.

The effect of the acetylcholinesterase inhibitor soman on tracheal smooth muscle (TSM) from the dog and pig was studied. In response to soman, tracheal ring preparations contract more and the resting tension for TSM preparations is higher for the dog compared with the pig. Tension induced by electrical field stimulation (EFS) and the half-time of EFS-train induced contractions have a similar dependence on soman exposure in both dog and pig TSM. These results suggest that the basal acetylcholine secretion or leakage within the TSM nerve terminal is probably higher for the dog compared with the pig.

Insertion forces and risk of complications during cricothyroid cannulation.

Our purpose was to determine the forces required to insert several different styles of cricothyroid cannulas and to relate the magnitude of these forces and cannula design features to the incidence of complications during insertion. Tests were done on unembalmed cadavers and anesthetized dogs. Samples of 4 different commercial cricothyroid cannulas were tested. Each cannula type was tested in 5 different cadavers and 10 different dogs. A lubricant was applied to the cannulas in half of the dogs tested. Major findings are 1) there is a linear correlation between insertion force and device diameter, 2) higher puncture force is associated with a greater incidence of complications, 3) posterior wall penetration occurs more frequently with a curved penetrating device, 4) using small pilot needles to guide insertion of large cannulas minimizes complications, and 5) lubricant is less effective for cannulas having abrupt diameter changes. These findings provide guidelines for design of safer cricothyroid cannulas.

A simple algorithm for averaging multiple cycles of waveforms having varying cycle periods.

We present a simple method for averaging multiple cycles of a waveform having cycles with varying periods. This averaging process preserves the morphology of the waveform by converting fixed time per point data into fixed fraction of cycle data. The algorithms are implemented using the ASYST system, which provides efficient code for performing the computations and permits straightforward integration of the data acquisition and analysis tasks. An example is given of the results of the program in processing cyclical waveforms obtained in respiratory research.

Expiratory muscle recruitment during inspiratory flow-resistive loading and exercise.

Both exercise and inspiratory flow-resistive loading may cause recruitment of expiratory muscles. To evaluate the extent of recruitment in combined exercise and flow-resistive loading, and to estimate the effect on inspiratory muscle work, we studied five men, 26 to 39 yr of age, during mild exercise with different degrees of inspiratory flow-resistive loading. Each subject performed four 1-h exercise runs at 30% of their maximal oxygen consumption on different days while inspiring through an external resistor of either 1.4, 14.5, 19.9, or 30.6 cm H2O/s/L. Mouth and esophageal pressure, inspiratory flow rate, and abdominal and rib cage motion were recorded continuously. Abdominal expansion tended to lead and rib cage expansion tended to lag the start of inspiration as judged from the beginning of negative pressure development at the mouth. These time differences increased as resistive load increased. Plots of abdominal versus rib cage motion also showed increase in phase shift, with the abdomen leading the rib cage on inspiration. For all subjects, the esophageal pressure at the end of expiration became less negative as the resistive load increased, indicating that the end-expiratory volume decreased with increasing resistive load. We conclude that there was increasing use of expiratory muscles as the resistive load increased, and that the initial expansion of the abdomen at high resistive loads represented elastic recoil of structures that had been compressed below the volume at FRC by the expiratory muscles.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Pulmonary mechanical responses to cholinesterase inhibitor.

Lung static and dynamic compliances, and lung and upper airway resistances were measured in pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs before and after intravenous administration of 2 LD50 of the organophosphate cholinesterase inhibitor pinacolyl methylphosphonofluoridate (GD), followed by 1 mg of atropine 8 min later. Dynamic compliances and resistances were estimated by a linear regression model and by a Fourier analysis technique, with the two methods giving comparable results. GD caused a maximum increase in lung resistance of about 20 times control values, and about an 80% decrease in lung dynamic compliance. Frequency dependence of lung compliance and resistance was increased by GD administration. Following GD administration, upper airway opening pressure increased, indicating the presence of laryngospasm. Upper airway resistance during the latter portion of the breath, when the airway was open, decreased after GD administration, concurrent with the increase in carinal pressure that occurred as the result of increased lung impedance. These results suggest that the GD-induced decrease in upper airway resistance was due to passive distension of the upper airway. Physiological deadspace decreased by a maximum of about 65% following GD administration. Administration of atropine resulted in a prompt and almost complete reversal of all of the GD-induced effects on pulmonary mechanical properties and ventilation. The results of this study suggest that the major pulmonary mechanical effects of GD in the dog are caused by constriction of smooth muscle at different levels of the respiratory tract.

Determinants of alveolar ventilation during high-frequency transtracheal jet ventilation in dogs.

The effectiveness of transtracheal jet ventilation is a function of gas delivery pressure (drive pressure), duty cycle (insufflation time/total cycle time), and respiratory frequency. Nine dogs, anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital, were ventilated through a cricothyrotomy cannula using a controller that allowed separate setting of drive pressure, duty cycle, and frequency. PaO2 and PaCO2 were measured after achieving steady-state gas exchange at 15 to 22 different combinations of drive pressure, duty cycle, and frequency in each dog. There were slight increases in PaCO2 and larger decreases in PaO2 as frequency was increased from 10 to 200 cycle/min. Increases in drive pressure and duty cycle resulted in reduced PaCO2 and increased PaO2. Multiple linear regression showed good correlation between PaCO2 and drive pressure, duty cycle, and frequency. The distribution of air flow between alveolar and physiologic dead space, upper airway leakage, and entrainment was determined for each set of conditions. Changes in alveolar ventilation corresponding to the blood gas changes resulted from interaction of dead-space ventilation and upper airway leakage, which varied with breath duration. Decreases in leakage during short breaths tended to compensate for the increased fractional dead-space ventilation at high frequency, thus minimizing the effects of frequency changes on gas exchange.