Journal of Applied Physiology, Vol 52, Issue 1 96-103, Copyright © 1982 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Uneven driving pressures and redistribution of intrapulmonary blood flow

J. F. Murray, J. M. Hoeffel and G. Jibelian

Pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa) and airway pressure (Paw) change equally when Paw varies widely in normal lungs under zone 2 conditions. To evaluate the mechanism underlying the decrease in Ppa at a given Paw in edematous lungs, we measured the quantity of right-to-left shunting of blood (Qs/QT) with sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) using in situ perfused dog lungs from five control animals, five animals with bronchial occlusion, and eight animals with oleic acid-induced pulmonary edema. Under base-line conditions when positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) was increased from 5 to 15 cmH2O, Ppa increased because Paw was fully transmitted to Ppa. After bronchial occlusion at 5 cmH2O PEEP, observed QS/QT was less than predicted (P less than 0.01) on the basis of regional conductances, but at 15 cmH2O observed and predicted QS/QT did not differ (P greater than 0.5). In five of eight dogs with oleic acid-induced pulmonary edema. QS/QT increased when PEEP was increased. We conclude that pressure barriers that create nonuniform driving pressures cause a decrease in Ppa and a redistribution of blood flow.