Effects of Combined Abdominal and Thoracic Airsac Occlusion on Respiration in Domestic Fowl

Abstract

Ventilation and respiratory and blood gas tensions were monitored at rest and during running exercise, following bilateral occlusion of the cranial and caudal thoracic and the abdominal air sacs. This represents a removal of approximately 70% of the total air-sac capacity. At rest, the birds were strongly hypoxaemic/hypercapnaemic. Ventilation was maintained at its control value but respiratory frequency was significantly increased and tidal volume diminished. The birds were capable of sustained running at approximately three times the pre-exercise metabolic rate. Minute ventilation during exercise was the same as that of the controls, but breathing was faster and shallower. Exercise had no effect on blood gas tensions in either the control or the experimental birds. There was no evidence of a detrimental effect of air-sac occlusion on the effectiveness of inspiratory airflow valving in the lung: hypoxaemia appeared to be due to the altered respiratory pattern, which resulted in increased dead-space inhalation.