Pulmonary blood flow distribution after lobar oleic acid injury: a PET study

We evaluated the importance of hypoxic vasoconstriction as a mechanism for pulmonary blood flow reduction during unilobar oleic acid lung injury in dogs. Pulmonary blood flow (PBF) and lung water were measured with positron emission tomography. Data from the injured left (LCL) and right (RCL) caudal lobes were compared in 23 dogs. Six dogs were used to demonstrate that endotoxin (15 micrograms/kg) prevents changes in regional PBF during selective hypoxic ventilation of the LCL. In 17 dogs, oleic acid (OA, 0.015 ml/kg) was injected into the LCL through a balloon-wedged pulmonary arterial catheter. Five dogs received OA only (control group), eight received endotoxin (15 mcg/kg) before OA was administered (endotoxin group), and four were treated with prostaglandin E1 (PGE1) after OA (PGE1 group). The base-line left-to-right PBF ratio (LCL/RCL PBF) was 1.01 +/- 0.11 (SD) for the control group and 1.07 +/- 0.16 for the PGE1 group. One minute after OA, LCL/RCL PBF feel significantly (0.32 +/- 0.15 and 0.32 +/- 0.13 for the control and PGE1 groups, respectively) before any significant increase in lung water was detected. In all 17 dogs that received OA, the LCL/RCL PBF remained severely reduced 60 min after OA compared with base-line values (0.41 +/- 0.15, 0.49 +/- 0.06, and 0.26 +/- 0.13 for the control, PGF1, and endotoxin groups, respectively) despite treatment with endotoxin or PGE1. Lung water measurements obtained 60 min after OA increased significantly (P less than 0.05) in the injured lobe (LCL) but not in the normal lobe (RCL) in all dog groups, whereas PBF to the LCL remained significantly reduced.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)