PULMONARY SURFACE TENSION IN EXPERIMENTAL ATELECTASIS

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Abstract
The results of the present studies of occlusion of the right pulmonary artery in dogs are consistent with the hypothesis that (1) the stability of the alveoli requires that the respiratory surfaces be lined with a material that reduces surface tension to low values; and (2) the maintenance of the lining material requires that there be adequate alveolar capillary blood flow. Atelectasis per se does not cause an in- crease in surface tension of lung extracts. This is substantiated by the following findings: extracts from lungs that were still collapsed 10 weeks after ligation of the bronchus had normal surface tension; extracts from lungs that were made atelectatic by bronchial ligation for less than 48 hours had normal tension; and in cases of pulmonary artery occlusion, the increase in surface tension of lung extracts occurred before the development of atelectasis.

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