Collapsible upper airway segment to study the obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome in rats.
Animal models have been used to study the pathophysiology of the obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome (SAHS). Nevertheless, in none of the models described to date have the animals been subjected to the different patterns of upper airway obstructive events (apneas, hypopneas, and inspiratory flow limitation) characterizing SAHS. Our aim was to devise and test a computer-controlled collapsible upper airway segment applicable to rats and able to realistically mimic obstructive SAHS events. The collapsible segment (total volume <2 cm(3) and a dead space of approximately 0.25 cm(3)) consisted of a Starling resistor based on a latex membrane subjected to an external pressure applied by a computer-controlled pressure source. The collapsible segment was tested in eight anaesthetized and tracheostomized rats. The upper airway segment allowed us to induce obstructive apneas and hypopneas with flow and inspiratory effort waveforms similar to the ones observed in patients with SAHS. This collapsible upper airway segment may be a useful tool to implement a rat model of SAHS.
Farré
Ramon
R
Unitat de Biofísica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona, Casanova 143, E-08036, Barcelona, Spain. farre@medicina.ub.es
Rotger
Mar
M
Montserrat
Josep M
JM
Calero
Gabriel
G
Navajas
Daniel
D
D000399:Air Pressure; D000402:Airway Obstruction / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000403:Airway Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D017076:Computer-Aided Design; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004867:Equipment Design; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008567:Membranes, Artificial; D010313:Partial Pressure; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012129:Respiratory Function Tests; D012143:Respiratory Physiological Phenomena; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors
D008567:Membranes, Artificial