This study was conducted to characterize the physiological responses to prolonged positive pressure breath holding (PPBH) in anesthetized dogs and to determine whether lowering the end-tidal carbon dioxide (PE′CO2) before initiating PPBH extends its...
This study was conducted to characterize the physiological responses to prolonged positive pressure breath holding (PPBH) in anesthetized dogs and to determine whether lowering the end-tidal carbon dioxide (PE′CO2) before initiating PPBH extends its safe duration.
Five healthy adult Beagle dogs underwent two PPBH trials in a randomized crossover design, with initial PE′CO2 levels set at 40 mmHg (control) and 30 mmHg (treatment). General anesthesia was induced and maintained using total intravenous anesthesia with alfaxalone (3 mg kg-1, then 12 mg kg-1 hour-1), and neuromuscular blockade was achieved with rocuronium (1 mg kg-1, then 0.2 mg kg-1 hour-1). After mechanically adjusting PE′CO2 to target levels, PPBH was performed for 10 minutes at an end-expiratory pressure of 15 cmH2O under 100% oxygen. Arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2), pH, arterial partial pressure of oxygen (PaO2), heart rate, and arterial blood pressure were recorded every minute, and the primary endpoints were defined as the time to reach PaCO2 ≥ 60 mmHg or arterial pH ≤ 7.2. Time-dependent changes were analyzed using linear mixed models. The duration of PPBH before reaching endpoints was evaluated using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis.
No hypoxemia (PaO2 ≤ 80 mmHg) was observed. PPBH induced progressive increases in PaCO2 and corresponding reductions in pH over time (p < 0.001). The time to reach PaCO2 ≥ 60 mmHg was significantly prolonged in the treatment (5.8 ± 1.6 minutes) compared to the control (2.4 ± 0.8 minutes) (p = 0.006). Similarly, the time to reach pH ≤ 7.2 was significantly prolonged in the treatment (p = 0.002). Cardiovascular parameters remained within reference ranges throughout the procedure.
Although prolonged PPBH is often required for advanced imaging and radiotherapy, its duration is constrained by CO2 accumulation and acid-base disturbance. These findings demonstrate that reducing PE′CO2 before PPBH effectively delays hypercapnia and acidemia, thereby extending the physiologically tolerable duration of breath holding. This approach may provide a practical strategy for improving PPBH feasibility in clinical veterinary settings.