[The effect of acute bronchospasm on pulmonary artery pressure]

The influence of acute airways obstruction on the values of the systolic pulmonary arterial pressure in patients with bronchial asthma is presented. The acute airways obstruction has been attained by the nonspecific bronchial provocation test on methacholine, using the modified Cockcroft and associates method. The systolic pulmonary arterial pressure has been determined using the non-invasive Doppler echocardiograpfhy method from the corrected Bernoulli and associates equation (GP = 4V2). The mild acute airways obstruction has been provoked in 11 cases, with the 28% fall of average values of the forced one-second expiratory volume (FEV1) and the 48% flow-volume curve of the forced expiratory flow at 50% of the vital capacity (FEF50). A moderate hypoxemia has also been registered with the 22% fall of the average values of the arterial oxygen tension (PaO2). At the same time, a considerable increase of the systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (PAPs) was recorded, with the average values of 31 to 39 mmHg (mean = 33.7 mmHg) which corresponds to a mild pulmonary arterial hypertension. The PaO2 at PAPs values show a considerable negative correlation (r = s -0.73; p < 0.01). The Doppler echocardiography is the most sensitive noninvasive method suitable for diagnosis and observing the pulmonary arterial hypertension in patients with bronchial asthma.