Search Results (3)

Objectives: To confirm the utility of barometric whole-body plethysmography (BWBP) as a non-invasive, clinical diagnostic test for brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome (BOAS) in cats. Methods: Client-owned cats belonging to brachycephalic breeds were enrolled and classified into two clinical severity grades of upper airway obstruction (UAO). Brachycephalic cats with high-grade UAO severity (Brachy-H-UAO) represented those with clinically evident effects on clinical signs or physical examination findings, whereas brachycephalic cats with low-grade UAO severity (Brachy-L-UAO) represented those without clinically evident problems. A group of non-brachycephalic (NB) cats that were respiratory disease-free and with neither a history of cardiac or systemic diseases nor exposure to cigarette smoke was used as the control group. Cats were placed in the BWBP chamber, and breathing signals were obtained after an adaptation period in a quiet and silent environment. The ventilatory variables obtained were respiratory rate (RR; [bpm]), tidal and minute volume per kilogram bodyweight (MV/BW and TV/BW; [mL/kg]), inspiratory (Ti; [s]) and expiratory (Te; [s]) intervals, airway obstruction index enhanced pause (Penh), and peak inspiratory and expiratory flows per kilogram (PIF and PEF; [mL/s/kg]). Results: Forty-three client-owned cats (11 Brachy-H-UAO, 7 Brachy-L-UAO, and 25 NB) were included. Brachycephalic cats (Brachy-H-UAO: 311 mL/kg; Brachy-L-UAO: 253 mL/kg) showed significantly lower median MV/BW than NB cats (503 mL/kg) (p = 0.01). Brachy-H-UAO cats demonstrated significantly higher median PEF/PIF ratios (Brachy-H-UAO: 1.46, minimum–maximum 0.82–2.48; Brachy-L-UAO: 0.76, 0.52–1.11; NB: 0.73, 0.56–1.00) and Penh (Brachy-H-UAO: 2.37, minimum–maximum 0.57–23.82; Brachy-L-UAO: 0.57, 0.27–1.11; NB: 0.53, 0.21–0.68) than Brachy-L-UAO and NB cats (p < 0.001). No significant differences were observed among the three groups for RR, TV/BW, Ti, Te, or Te/Ti. Conclusions and Relevance: Cats affected by BOAS demonstrate impaired ventilatory function, with reduced minute ventilation and a distinctive flow pattern and parameters reflecting limited inspiratory flow and increased upper airway resistance. BWBP can serve as a useful tool to diagnose and characterize the severity of BOAS in cats. Full article

Barometric whole-body plethysmography (BWBP) is considered to be a particularly gentle method of assessing lung function in cats. However, there have been no studies to date investigating the stress experienced by cats during measurements. The prospective study included 48 healthy adult cats. Each cat was measured in the plethysmographic chamber for a total of 30 min and stress levels were determined every 10 min using a stress ethogram. At the beginning of measurements, 75% of cats were assessed as tense. Over the three time periods, a significant (p < 0.001) reduction in the total stress score was observed. In addition, all measurement parameters correlated significantly with the stress score, with the exception of enhanced pause and tidal volume. It can therefore be assumed that cats will initially experience stress during examination in the plethysmographic chamber, but stress will decrease significantly over time. As the stress level correlates with many measurement parameters, this should be taken into account when interpreting the results. Full article

Obesity is a nutritional disorder commonly diagnosed in adult cats that has been associated with an increased risk of different chronic diseases including respiratory diseases. The main objective of this study is to define if there is a relation between lung function measured by barometric whole-body plethysmography and obesity in cats with bronchoconstriction. Fifty-three cats were included in the study. All animals presented a bronchoconstriction status diagnosed with an Enhanced Pause (Penh) value higher than the reference range. Based on a standardized 9-point body condition scale, 36 cats were normal-weight cats (with BCS < 6), and 17 cats were considered overweight or obese cats (with BCS ≥ 6). Overweight cats were mainly male cats and older, and presented lower tidal volume values, lower minute volume values, and lower peak inspiratory and expiratory flows than normal-weight cats. According to the results of the present study, overweight cats showed a more compromised lung function parameters related to restrictive pattern compared with normal-weight cats. However, overweight cats did not show a higher bronchoconstriction level compared with normal-weight cats. Full article