The Effects of General Anesthetics on Upper Airway Collapsibility in Healthy Subjects

Summary

The investigators hypothesize that propofol, when compared to sevoflurane, causes the upper airway to collapse more easily and causes less activity in the tongue muscle. Additionally, the investigators hypothesize that, under increased carbon dioxide concentrations of the air inhaled, the upper airway will be less likely to collapse under anesthesia and there will be increased activity in the tongue muscle under both propofol and sevoflurane, when compared to breathing normal concentrations of carbon dioxide, as in room air. Furthermore the investigators hypothesize that anesthesia disrupt the breathing swallow coordination, an effect additionally altered by increased carbon dioxide through increased respiratory drive.

Timeline

Start

2013-01

Primary completion

2013-11

Completion

2014-03

Publications

• Background Eikermann M, Malhotra A, Fassbender P, Zaremba S, Jordan AS, Gautam S, White DP, Chamberlin NL. Differential effects of isoflurane and propofol on upper airway dilator muscle activity and breathing. Anesthesiology. 2008 May;108(5):897-906. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0b013e31816c8a60.
• Background Eikermann M, Grosse-Sundrup M, Zaremba S, Henry ME, Bittner EA, Hoffmann U, Chamberlin NL. Ketamine activates breathing and abolishes the coupling between loss of consciousness and upper airway dilator muscle dysfunction. Anesthesiology. 2012 Jan;116(1):35-46. doi: 10.1097/ALN.0b013e31823d010a.
• Background Eikermann M, Eckert DJ, Chamberlin NL, Jordan AS, Zaremba S, Smith S, Rosow C, Malhotra A. Effects of pentobarbital on upper airway patency during sleep. Eur Respir J. 2010 Sep;36(3):569-76. doi: 10.1183/09031936.00153809. Epub 2009 Dec 23.

Drugs

Indications

No indication recorded.