Acoustic plethysmograph for measuring pulmonary function in mice

Abstract

The traditional whole body plethysmograph (WBP) relies on pressure changes induced by a freely respiring animal inside a chamber. This pressure is a combination of a thermo-hygrometric effect (proportional to tidal volume) and a gas compression effect (related to lung mechanics). In order to measure either tidal volume or lung mechanics, it must be assumed that the other component is negligible. In this research, an acoustic WBP was developed that is capable of measuring the thoracic volume change of a mouse independent of the thermohygrometric effect. This allows independent measurement of tidal volume and specific airway resistance. I would like to express my gratitude to my wife, Elizabeth, and our children, Jacob, Katherine, Julia, and Caroline, who all put up with my grumpy moods during my many study sessions throughout this process. And most of all, I would like to thank my parents, Terry and Anita, who overcame their difficult upbringings to provide a family environment from which any achievement was possible. iv Contents Acknowledgments iv Table of Contents v List of Figures vii 1 Introduction 2 Background 2.1 Modeling physical systems with electric circuit analogues. .