Effect of mechanical ventilation on carotid artery thrombosis induced by photochemical injury in mice

Background: Increasing use of transgenic and gene targeting techniques for the investigation of hemostasis and vascular biology has generated interest in experimental models of carotid artery thrombosis in mice. Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that hypoventilation in anesthetized mice may cause hypercapnia, increased carotid artery blood flow, and altered thrombotic responses to photochemical injury of the carotid artery. Methods: Arterial blood gases and carotid artery blood flow were measured in pentobarbital‐anesthetized BALB/c or C57BL/6 J mice with and without mechanical ventilation. Photochemical injury of the carotid artery was induced using the rose bengal method. Results: Compared with ventilated mice, unventilated mice had a 45% increase in carotid artery blood flow (0.74 ± 0.04 vs. 0.41 ± 0.03 mL min−1; P