Carotid body resection

Bellville, I.W., Whipp, B.J., Kaufman, R.D. et al. 1979. Central and peripheral chemoreflex loop gain in normal and carotid body-resected subjects. J. Appl. Physiol. 46 843. 

Lugliani R, Whipp BJ, Seard C, Wasserman K. Effect of bilateral carotid body resection on ventilatory control at rest and during exercise in man. N Engl J Med 1971 ... 

Honda Y, Watanabe S, Hashizume I, Satomura Y, Hata N, Sakakibara Y, Sever-inghaus JW. Hypoxic chemosensitivity in asthmatic patients two decades after carotid body resection. J Appl Physiol 1979 46 632-638. 

Venneire P, de Backer W, van Maele R, Bal J, van Kerckhoven W. Carotid body resection in patients with severe chronic airflow limitation. Bull Eur Physiopathol Respir Clin Respir Physiol 1987 23 165S-169S. 

Later reports (4-9) have confirmed that carotid chemoreceptor function is permanently lost after resection of the carotid bodies in humans. Therefore, these reports provide a first indication that the carotid body parenchyma is required for oxygen sensing. In other words, carotid nerve chemosensory fibers by themselves are unable to detect changes in O2 level. 

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