A preclinical rat model for bilateral phrenic nerve stimulation during mechanical ventilation

Abstract

Phrenic nerve stimulation (PNS) may preserve diaphragm activation and mitigate multiorgan injury during mechanical ventilation (MV); however, a minimal invasive rat model integrating PNS with MV is lacking. We established an omohyoid muscle-based PNS rat model combined with MV. Bilateral nerves were exposed within 20 ± 2 min by transection at the intermediate tendon of omohyoid muscle, minimizing trauma and bleeding. Threshold stimulation (0.6 ± 0.2 mA) correlated with body weight. Ventilator-synchronized stimulation increased compound muscle action potentials by ~30%, whereas histology confirmed intact nerve. Physiological parameters remained stable throughout ventilation. This model provides a safe and scalable platform for mechanistic and preclinical studies on PNS-mediated protection against MV-induced organ injury.

Keywords

diaphragm electromyography / mechanical ventilation / omohyoid-based surgery / phrenic nerve stimulation / rat model

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RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS

2026 The Author(s). Animal Models and Experimental Medicine published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of The Chinese Association for Laboratory Animal Sciences.