Effect of atelectasis and surface tension on pulmonary vascular compliance

The effects of atelectasis and surface tension on the vascular volume and compliance in an isolated perfused dog lung lobe were studied using vascular occlusion and indicator-dilution methods. Measurements were made during atelectasis and again after the lobes were inflated with either a gas mixture (air) or 0.9% saline. Inflation with air resulted in a 20% increase in vascular volume (P less than 0.02), whereas saline inflation had no effect on vascular volume. Inflation with either air or saline increased static vascular compliance by approximately 58% (P less than 0.001) and dynamic vascular compliance by approximately 85% (P less than 0.001). The larger dynamic compliance in the inflated lobes appears to have been mainly due to a larger microvascular compliance. The results suggest that atelectasis can result in a stiffer pulmonary capillary bed. This effect appears to be due primarily to the reconfiguration of the lung tissue structure, because replacing the air with an incompressible fluid did not have the same effect.