Effect of hypoxia on pulmonary artery pressure of dogs

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Abstract
The mechanism by which the pulmonary artery pressure rises in response to hypoxia has never been clearly demonstrated. This problem was reinvestigated in experiments utilizing separate pulmonary and systemic perfusion systems. These vascular beds were perfused in such a fashion that a change in pulmonary artery pressure could only result from changes in vasomotor tone. Alveolar-pulmonary vein hypoxia was usually associated with a slight fall in pulmonary artery pressure. Systemic hypoxia resulted in elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure in 10 of the 12 animals tested with a constant-flow and constant-pulmonary venous pressure. In addition, all animals with systemic desaturation showed an increased venous return. When the "cardiac output" (pump output) was increased to match this return, the elevation in pulmonary artery pressure increased. It was concluded that the pulmonary arterial pressure elevation seen with hypoxia is the result of active pulmonary vasoconstriction coupled with an increased pulmonary blood flow.

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