Plethysmograph with animal restraint

Inventors

Lomask, Joseph • Shemesh, Yuval • Shafer, Richard A. • Le, Chau Hong • Nguyen, Hai Dang

Assignees

Harvard Bioscience Inc

Abstract

A plethysmograph is described that includes a test chamber having an opening; a sealing member including an annular flexible seal to receive at least a part of the head of the test animal mounted across the opening whereby the animal breathes air outside the test chamber, while the animal's body is within the test chamber; and a restraining member attachable to the sealing member, the restraining member including a clamp positionable behind the test animal's head, to prevent the animal from withdrawing its head from the restraining member. The animal is positioned in the restraining member and the sealing member is attached to the restraining member before insertion of the animal and assembly into the test chamber, avoiding previous difficulties in simultaneously placing an animal into the chamber while inserting the animal's nose into the seal. The plethysmograph also eliminates the necessity for a plunger to prevent rearward movement of the animal.

Core Innovation

The invention relates to a dual-chamber plethysmograph for transmitted test animal pulmonary data to differential pressure transducers. The plethysmograph includes a first chamber and a second chamber with first and second attachment openings that are attachable at an interface, and a sealing member insertable between the chambers to block the passage of air between the chambers.

The sealing member includes a seal with an opening to receive the head of the test animal, whereby the animal breathes air in the second chamber while the animal’s body is within the first chamber. The restraining member is configured with a clamp positionable behind the test animal’s head, preventing the animal from withdrawing its head from the restraining member.

The restraining member and sealing member are insertable into the second chamber after the test animal is placed in the restraining member and held by the clamp. The sealing member is described as having an annular frame with an O-ring supporting a flexible barrier seal, and attachment of the sealing member to the restraining member is described as frictional or slot-based.

Claims Coverage

Two independent claims are identified. Across the independent claims, the inventive features include the dual-chamber transmitted pulmonary-data arrangement, the seal with a head-receiving opening to establish separate air passage between chambers, and a restraining member clamp that prevents head withdrawal and supports insertion of the sealed and restrained assembly into the chamber.

Both independent claims require a dual-chamber plethysmograph for transmitted pulmonary data to differential pressure transducers, an air-blocking sealing member with a head-receiving opening, and a restraining member with a clamp positioned behind the animal's head to prevent head withdrawal, with insertion of the sealing and restraining assembly after the animal is placed and held by the clamp.

Stated Advantages

Documented Applications