title: Differential sensitivity to halothane anesthesia of the genioglossus, intercostals, and diaphragm in kittens.
abstract: Recent studies in humans and animals have indicated that different inspiratory muscles have different sensitivities to respiratory depressants. The sensitivity of inspiratory muscles during early growth and development relative to that in adults of the same species, however, has not been studied. We therefore studied the activity of the diaphragm, the external intercostals, and the genioglossus by means of electromyography and its moving time average with different concentrations of halothane in seven 2-mo-old kittens. The kittens spontaneously breathed 1.0%-2.0% halothane in oxygen while PaCO2 was maintained at about 60 mm Hg by adding CO2 to the inspired gas as needed. Muscle activity was evaluated in terms of the peak height of the moving time average. Activity at 1% halothane was used as the control measurement because measurements at zero inspired concentrations of halothane could not be obtained without sedation, which is known to depress respiratory muscle activity. Halothane anesthesia significantly (P less than 0.01) decreased phasic inspiratory activity of the inspiratory muscles in a dose-dependent fashion. Genioglossal activity was completely abolished at 1.5% and 2.0% halothane. By contrast, in our previous study in adult cats under nearly identical experimental conditions, the phasic genioglossal activity was depressed but present even at 3.0% halothane. The degree of depression at 1.5% and 2.0% halothane was least in the crural diaphragm (71.8% +/- 5.8%, 66.6% +/- 4.5% of control, respectively), intermediate in the intercostals (68.9% +/- 9.6%, 35.4% +/- 8.8%), and greatest in the genioglossus (0.0%, 0.0%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology/Critical Care Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pennsylvania.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ochiai
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Guthrie
authors.forename: E K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Motoyama
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D002245:Carbon Dioxide / Q000502:physiology; D002415:Cats; D003864:Depression, Chemical; D003964:Diaphragm / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004576:Electromyography / Q000187:drug effects; D006221:Halothane / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D007320:Inspiratory Capacity / Q000187:drug effects; D007366:Intercostal Muscles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D024510:Muscle Development; D010100:Oxygen / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D010313:Partial Pressure; D011650:Pulmonary Alveoli / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D012132:Respiratory Muscles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000254:growth & development; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity
chemical_list: D002245:Carbon Dioxide; D010100:Oxygen; D006221:Halothane