Factors affecting perfusion distribution in canine oleic acid pulmonary edema

Factors affecting perfusion distribution in oleic acid pulmonary edema were examined in 28 anesthetized open-chest dogs. Sixteen had unilobar oleic acid edema produced by left lower lobe pulmonary artery infusion of 0.03 ml/kg of oleic acid, and 12 had the same amount of edema produced by left lower lobe endobronchial instillation of hypotonic plasma. Lobar perfusion (determined from flow probes) and lobar shunt (determined from mixed venous and lobar venous blood) were measured at base line, 1.5 h after edema, and 10 min after 10 cmH2O positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP). Fourteen dogs (8 oleic acid, 6 plasma) received sodium nitroprusside (11.72 +/- 7.10 micrograms X kg-1 X min-1). Total and lobar shunts increased to the same extent in all animals. Lobar perfusion decreased by 49.8 +/- 4.8% without nitroprusside and 34.0 +/- 3.6% with nitroprusside in the oleic acid group, corresponding values being 40.3 +/- 0.8% and 26.4 +/- 1.7% in the hypotonic plasma group. PEEP returned perfusion and shunt to base line. In oleic acid edema, most of the decreased perfusion results from mechanical effects of the edema, a smaller fraction results from other vascular effects of the oleic acid, and approximately 30% is reversible by nitroprusside. PEEP normalizes the perfusion distribution.