Cardiovascular Effects of Pulmonary Embolization in Intact Dogs Studied by Venous Catheterization of the Coronary Sinus

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Abstract
Acute pulmonary hypertension was produced in 10 intact anesthetized dogs by the injn. of a 1% suspension of Lycopodium spores into the pulmonary artery. There was no significant change in the rate of the coronary outflow after this injn., although the mean pulmonary artery pressure was tripled. The cardiac output was increased in each case following the establishment of pulmonary hypertension but the pulmonary artery pressure was increased relatively more, so that there was a significant increase in total pulmonary resistance. Although the left ventricular work was significantly increased, the left ventricular O2 consumption was not changed, with a consequent increase in left ventricular efficiency. Postmortem examination of 5 of the dogs revealed Lycopodium spores in the small vessels of all lobes of the lung, but not in any other organ. Only 1 dog, which had received the largest dose of Lycopodium spores, showed evidence at necropsy of having died of right-sided cardiac failure.