Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 45, Issue 2 320-324, Copyright © 1978 by American Physiological Society
An animal model for the study of regional lung function
S. M. Robinson, J. A. Cadwallader and P. M. Hill
An animal model for the study of regional lung function is described. In
sheep, the bronchus to the right apical lobe (RAL) of the lung arises
directly from the trachea. A tracheal divider, inserted under local
anesthesia via a permanent tracheostomy, was used to separate the
ventilation of the RAL from that of the rest of the lung. Lobar blood flow
was estimated from the RAL contribution to the pulmonary clearance of an
intravenous bolus of 85Kr. Gas exchange was measured by conventional
methods. Expressed as a percentage of the value obtained for the whole
lung, lobar expired volume was 14.7 +/- 4.3%, capillary perfusion was 12.3
+/- 4.2%, oxygen uptake was 14.7 +/- 4.9%, and carbon dioxide production
was 13.4 +/- 5.5% (mean +/- SD of 25 studies in 11 animals breathing air).
The model permits the study of experimental conditions confined to a single
lobe of the lung and offers the advantages of an intact chest wall,
spontaneous ventilation and an unanesthetized animal.
