Laryngeal airway resistance was measured in anesthetized dogs ranging in age from one day to adult during central and peripheral chemoreceptor stimulation by hypoxia and hypercapnia. Chemoreceptor-mediated regulation of airway resistance was found to be qualitatively similar in all age groups; however, there was a progressive increased sensitivity to both hypoxia and hypercapnia with increasing age. The reduced sensitivity of the laryngeal airway to hypoxic and hypercapnic stimulation in the young animal may predispose the young animal to airway obstruction during periods of hypoxia or hypercapnia. This may bear some relevance to the etiology of certain cases of sudden infant death syndrome.
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