The effect of vagotomy, vagal cooling and efferent vagal stimulation on breathing and lung mechanics of rabbits

Abstract

1. The effects of bilateral cervical vagotomy, of bilateral vagal cooling and of efferent vagal stimulation were studied on rabbits anaesthetized with pentobarbitone sodium. Total lung conductance, lung compliance, breathing frequency, tidal volume, end-tidal CO₂%, systemic arterial and right atrial blood pressures and heart rate were measured. Some of the rabbits were first paralysed and artificially ventilated.