Evaluation of Pressure-volume Loops in Anesthetic Monitoring and Thorax-lung Compliance in Dogs

Abstract

In order to discuss the usefulness of pressure-volume (PV) loops to foresee and prevent accidents during anesthesia, and to make better use of PV loops for respiration control, we recorded PV loops in 78 outpatient dogs without serious respiratory disease and one healthy dog under anesthesia, and compared the shapes of the PV loops. We found specific changes in PV loops caused by fighting, air leaks, kinks in the endotracheal tube, compression of the chest or abdomen, a prone position, and conditions of ventilation. There was a strong correlation between dynamic compliance and body weight, but no correlation between specific compliance and age, although there was a tendency toward correlation between specific compliance and body condition score.