Effects of carotid body denervation on respiratory pattern of awake cats.

Eight awake cats have been studied before and after carotid denervation during air and oxygen breathing, and during hypercapnia. Analysis of the variables that characterize the spirogram shows that carotid denervation consistently results in a decrease of the mean inspiratory flow (VT/TI), causing a decrease in tidal volume (VT) and ventilation with a relative alveolar hypercapnia. In carotid-denervated animals, inhalation of oxygen results in an increase in ventilation due to an augmentation of VT/TI and VT and a relative hypocapnia. TI does not significantly change in the different conditions whereas TE is significantly affected. TE seems therefore to be more closely related to the rate of rise of inspiratory activity than to inspiratory duration.