title: Effect of ambient temperature on respiratory chemoreflex in unanaesthetized kittens.
abstract: We compared the respiratory responses to breath-by-breath alternations of air and 14% oxygen (hypoxia run), air and 5% CO2 (CO2 run) or air from two gas lines (control run) at ambient temperatures of 25-26 degrees C and 30-31 degrees C in nine kittens at 3-7, 11-18 and 30-39 days post-natal age. Chemoreflex responses were measured from alternations in inspiratory and expiratory variables during test runs and compared with those of control runs. At 25-26 degrees C, no significant respiratory alternations were present in hypoxia runs at days 3-7, while alternations were significant at older ages. In CO2 runs alternation was significant at each age group. At 30-31 degrees C, no significant respiratory alternation was present in either hypoxia or CO2 runs for any age group. Thus respiratory chemoreflexes decrease at a warmer environmental temperature in kittens. This may explain how elevated environmental temperature predisposes neonates to respiratory failure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tohoku University, School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hanson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001833:Body Temperature Regulation / Q000502:physiology*; D002415:Cats; D002628:Chemoreceptor Cells / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D010101:Oxygen Consumption / Q000502:physiology*; D012018:Reflex / Q000502:physiology*; D012119:Respiration / Q000502:physiology*