and volume dependence of pulmonary mechanics in anesthetized cats

and volume dependence of pulmonary mechanics in anesthetized cats. J. Appl. Physiol. 64(l): 441-450, 1988.-The effects of inspiratory flow rate and inflation volume on pulmonary me-chanics were investigated in six anesthetized-paralyzed cats ventilated by constant-flow inflation. Pulmonary mechanics were assessed using the technique of rapid airway occlusion during constant-flow inflation which allows measurement of the intrinsic pulmonary resistance (RL & and of the overall “pulmonary flow resistance ” (RL,,), which includes the addi-tional pulmonary pressure losses due to time constant inequal-ities within the lung and/or stress adaptation. We observed that, at fixed inflation volume, I) RLmin fitted Rohrer’s equa-tion, 2) RL,, was higher at low than intermediate flows, and 3) RL-- RLmi, decreased progressively with increasing flow. At fixed flow, RL,, increased, whereas RL~ ~ decreased with in