Direct Measurement of Pulmonary Capillary Transit Times

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Abstract
Direct measurements of capillary transit times in dog lungs were made by using in vivo television microscopy. Mean transit times were unexpectedly long. As pulmonary artery pressures were raised, transit times decreased, suggesting that the normally existing hydrostatic pressure gradient in the lung causes a vertical distribution of transit times. The more rapid transit times approached the minimum time required for complete oxygenation.