title: Standardization of pulmonary ventilation technique using volume-controlled ventilators in rats with congenital diaphragmatic hernia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To standardize a technique for ventilating rat fetuses with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia (CDH) using a volume-controlled ventilator.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pregnant rats were divided into the following groups: a) control (C); b) exposed to nitrofen with CDH (CDH); and c) exposed to nitrofen without CDH (N-). Fetuses of the three groups were randomly divided into the subgroups ventilated (V) and non-ventilated (N-V). Fetuses were collected on day 21.5 of gestation, weighed and ventilated for 30 minutes using a volume-controlled ventilator. Then the lungs were collected for histological study. We evaluated: body weight (BW), total lung weight (TLW), left lung weight (LLW), ratios TLW / BW and LLW / BW, morphological histology of the airways and causes of failures of ventilation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  BW, TLW, LLW, TLW / BW and LLW / BW were higher in C compared with N- (p <0.05) and CDH (p <0.05), but no differences were found between the subgroups V and N-V (p> 0.05). The morphology of the pulmonary airways showed hypoplasia in groups N- and CDH, with no difference between V and N-V (p <0.05). The C and N- groups could be successfully ventilated using a tidal volume of 75 ìl, but the failure of ventilation in the CDH group decreased only when ventilated with 50 ìl.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Volume ventilation is possible in rats with CDH for a short period and does not alter fetal or lung morphology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rodrigo Melo
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Gallindo
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Frances Lilian Lanhellas
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Rebeca Lopes
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Figueira
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Ana Leda Bertoncini
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Simões
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery and Anatomy, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lourenço
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Sbragia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004867:Equipment Design; D005260:Female; D046128:Fetal Therapies / Q000379:methods*; D065630:Hernias, Diaphragmatic, Congenital / Q000628:therapy*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012123:Pulmonary Ventilation; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012121:Respiration, Artificial / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*