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Principles of carbon dioxide displacement

Lab Animal volume 37, pages 241–242 (2008)Cite this article

To the editors:

I am writing to comment and expand on the physical principles governing carbon dioxide displacement rates for ferret euthanasia recently described by Fitzhugh and coworkers1, where ferrets were placed into cages that were either prefilled with carbon dioxide or filled at a displacement rate of 10%, 20% or 50% of the cage volume per min. Prefilling the cage or filling it at a rate of 50% volume per min for 3 min resulted in less time to recumbency and to last breath than did filling the cage at a slower displacement rate. By converting the chamber displacement rate into a time constant (τ), one can demonstrate the interaction between time and inflow rate on the gas concentration achieved within any enclosed space2.

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Veterinary Medicine, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, 39762-6100, MS

    Robert E. Meyer

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  1. Robert E. Meyer
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Meyer, R. Principles of carbon dioxide displacement. Lab Anim 37, 241–242 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/laban0608-241

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