Interactions among Ventilation, the Circulation, and the Uptake and Distribution of Halothane—Use of a Hybrid Computer Multiple Model

The authors have described a basic hybrid computer multiple model of the circulation, ventilation, and uptake and distribution of halothane in a companion paper. A multiple model consists of two or more submodels, each of which is complete in itself and could operate independently. In a multiple model, however, each submodel interacts with the others. The present paper describes the addition of a CO2-control loop (submodel), through which the partial pressure of CO2 modulates ventilation, as well a myocardial "contractility," arterial pressure, cardiac output, and regional vascular resistances. The concentration of halothane modifies these CO2-induced modulations. The CO2- and halothane-induced changes in ventilation and circulation in turn modify the uptake and distribution of halothane. Thus, a complex set of interrelationships among the submodels and compartments exists.