Mechanisms responsible for the sustained fall in arterial oxygen tension after endotracheal suctioning in dogs.

Because a sustained fall in arterial oxygen tension (PaO2) was observed after endotracheal suctioning in previous studies on anesthetized dogs and in humans, this study was designed to investigate the nature of the fall, its duration, and its response to several challenges. Experiments were performed at weekly intervals using three anesthetized dogs. Each dog was subjected to five experiments.