To Open or Close the Lungs – That Is the Question!

To Open or Close the Lungs – That Is the Question! Although often necessary, mechanical ventilation of small animals during pulmonary measurements can lead to both acute and chronic damage to their lungs, also known as ventilator-induced lung injury (VILI). The injury happens as a result of the frequent opening and closing of alveolar air […]
Longitudinal Studies With The flexiVent to Acquire Lung Mechanics

Longitudinal Studies With the flexiVent to Acquire Lung Mechanics When developing an appropriate protocol to assess respiratory mechanics, there is a trade-off between accuracy of the measurements and the invasiveness of the technique. The flexiVent favours an invasive technique, producing results that are unparalleled in accuracy. However, when performing longitudinal studies, there is some tendency to lean […]
QuickPrime Measurements for Deeper Insight
QuickPrime Measurements for Deeper Insight What is the forced oscillation technique (FOT)? Simply put, the forced oscillation technique is: Pausing ventilation Sending a test signal to the lungs Measuring the subject’s response The test signal is either a single frequency (matching the breathing frequency of the subject) or made up of multiple frequencies. When adding […]
New Insights From Pressure-volume Loops

New Insights From Pressure-volume Loops Lung function measurements with the flexiVent frequently include Pressure-Volume (PV) loops for insight on the intrinsic elastic properties of the respiratory system. The typical maneuver slowly inflates the lungs in steps, from Positive-End Expiratory Pressure (PEEP; 3 cmH2O) to 30 cmH2O, and then deflate them in a similar way to generate a […]
What You Always Wanted To Know About Specific Airway Resistance

What You Always Wanted To Know About Specific Airway Resistance Specific airway resistance (sRaw), or its reciprocal specific airway conductance (sGaw), was first introduced over 35 years ago as a way to gather information on airflow resistance in conscious subjects during quiet spontaneous breathing. This parameter is derived from the double-chamber plethysmography (DCP) technique, which […]
Measuring Dynamic Compliance and Static Compliance.

Dynamic Compliance & Static Compliance Measuring Dynamic Compliance and Static Compliance. At each breath, the respiratory system must overcome two opposing forces to be able to move air in and out of the lungs: the resistance to airflow and the distensibility (or compliance) of the respiratory system. Physiological and/or pathological factors may alter these mechanical […]