Animal model of unilateral ventilator-induced lung injury.
OBJECTIVE
To design, implement, and test a selective lung ventilator for setting a rat model of unilateral ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI).


METHODS
Interventional animal study in a university laboratory for animal research.


METHODS
Anesthetized and paralyzed male Wistar rats.


METHODS
A selective ventilator designed to apply varying tidal volume, PEEP, and breathing gas to each lung of the rat was implemented and evaluated. Five control animals were ventilated at 7 ml/kg (3.5 ml/kg each lung). Unilateral VILI was induced in six animals subjected to selective ventilation (3.5 ml/kg in one lung and 15 ml/kg in the other lung). After 3 h of ventilation the animals were killed and the lungs excised.


RESULTS
Lung edema was assessed by means of the ratio between wet and dry lung weights. No significant differences were found in lungs of control animals (5.16+/-0.22 and 4.96+/-0.25), but the W/D ratio in the over ventilated lung (8.98+/-3.80) was significantly greater than that in the normally ventilated lung (4.76+/-0.15), indicating selective induction of lung edema by over stretch.


CONCLUSIONS
This selective ventilator can be implemented into a rat model of unilateral VILI to gain further insight into the mechanisms of pulmonary injury induced by different ventilatory strategies.
Farre
Ramon
R
Unitat de Biofisica i Bioenginyeria, Facultat de Medicina, Universitat de Barcelona-IDIBAPS, Spain. rfarre@ub.edu
Granell
Susana
S
Rotger
Mar
M
Serrano-Mollar
Anna
A
Closa
Daniel
D
Navajas
Daniel
D
D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D008297:Male; D011175:Positive-Pressure Respiration; D011312:Pressure; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000009:adverse effects*; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D013990:Tidal Volume