Decline in lung,liquid volume before labor in fetal lambs

in lung liquid volume before labor in fetal lambs. J. Appl. Physiol. 61(6): 2266-2272, 1986.-The volume of liquid in the fetal lung depends on the amount of liquid secreted across the pulmonary epithelium and the amount flowing through the trachea. Lung liquid volume (VI) and secretion rate V,) were determined using an indicator-dilution technique, while tracheal flow rate &) was measured simultaneously with a bubble flowmeter. Least-squares regression analysis showed that in 10 chronically in-strumented fetal lambs, VI increased from 51.0 ml at 119 days to 104.6 ml at 135 days (VI =-347.65 + 3.35 X days; 95% confidence limits on slope: 1.89-4.81) before declining to 70.2 ml at 142 days gestation (V, = 768.8- 4.92 x days; 95% confidence limits on slope:-2.55 to-7.30). Similarly V8 in-creased from 7.4 ml/h at 119 days to 16.8 ml/h at 133 days w =-72.35 + 0.67 X days; 95 % confidence limits on slope