RESUMO
Instrumentation to automate quasi-static lung compliance measurement in the rat was developed and values obtained with it were compared with manual measurements by a trained technician. Designed to be used during mechanical ventilation, this system interrupts ventilation to inflate and deflate the lungs and measures lung transmural pressure and volume as functions of time. Animal experiments demonstrated that the automated system is capable of generating correctly shaped volume-pressure curves. These curves yielded reproducible lung compliance values that compare favorably with those obtained by the manual method. No statistically significant difference was observed comparing the two methods when evaluating either inter- or intra-animal variation. This automated system thereby obviates the need for highly trained personnel to perform the test.
