Mechanism of intracardiac shunting in the turtle Pseudemys scripta

Two principal hypotheses account for right-left (R-L) intracardiac shunting in reptiles. The "pressure shunting" hypothesis proposes no functional separation between the ventricular cava during systole. The "washout shunting" hypothesis suggests that during systole, the cavum pulmonale (CP) is functionally separate from the rest of the ventricle. The purpose of this study was to test these hypotheses during control, after acetylcholine (ACh) administration, after epinephrine (Epi) administration, and during apnea. Anesthetized (pentobarbital) turtles (Pseudemys scripta) were mechanically ventilated and three nonocclusive catheters were implanted into the right atrium (RAt), left atrium (LAt), and CP. In addition, three blood gas catheters connected to a mass spectrometer were implanted into the RAt, LAt, and right or left aortic arch for measurement of PO2. A tracer gas, He dissolved in saline, was sequentially injected into the three cardiac chambers and was detected by the mass spectrometer. The presence of R-L shunting was assessed with the blood PO2 and PHe measurements. ACh produced R-L shunting in all animals. No R-L shunting occurred after Epi administration and 20 min of apnea. In all animals after ACh administration, He was detected in an aorta after He infusion in the RAt and LAt, but never after infusion of He into the CP. These results from this preparation are inconsistent with the pressure hypothesis and support the washout hypothesis of intracardiac shunting.