Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 39, Issue 6 985-989, Copyright © 1975 by American Physiological Society
Effect of acute lymphatic obstruction on fluid accumulation in the chest in dogs
L. M. Pang, R. B. Mellins and F. Rodriguez-Martinez
The effect of acute obstruction to lymphatic drainage on fluid accumulation
in the lungs, pleura, and pericardium was assessed in the intact dog.
Catheters were positioned in the venae cavase, right atrium (RA), left
atrium (LA), age on fluid accumulation in the lungs, pleura, and
pericardium was assessed in the intact dog. Catheters were positioned in
the venae cavae, right atrium (RA), left atrium (LA), and aorta (Ao) of
nine anesthetized, spontaneouly breathing dogs, and hydrostic and colloid
osmotic pressures were continuously monitored. Lymphatic obstruction was
achieved by raising systemic venous pressure to either 10 mmHg or 25 mmHg
by a combination of fluid infusion and inflation of balloon catheters in
the venae cavae for 2 h. The same constant net intravascular filtration
pressure was maintained in both groups by appropriate use of saline or
colloid-containing fluids. Pleural and pericardial fluids were measured
postmortem and lung water content was determined by weighing before and
after drying. Failure to detect greater fluid accumulation at the higher
obstructing pressure (25 mmHg) than at the lower obstructing pressure (10
mmHg) suggests that over the range of obstructing pressures used there is
no acute change in the magnitude of lymphatic drainage in the chest.
