Liver blood flow and oxygen consumption during hypocapnia and IPPV in the greyhound

Pentobarbital-anesthetized greyhounds were passively hyperventilated using intermittent positive-pressure breathing (IPPV) and the effects of raised airway pressure, accompanied by hypocapnia and then by normocapnia, on liver blood flow and oxygen consumption were studied. Electromagnetic flowmeters were used to measure hepatic arterial, portal venous, and splenic venous blood flow. Studies were carried out at three levels of raised airway pressure, both at normocapnia and hypocapnia. It was found that hypocapnic hyperventilation produced a decrease in portal venous and hepatic arterial blood flow. Normocapnic hyperventilation resulted in a restoration of portal venous blood flow but with a further decrease in hepatic arterial blood flow. A decrease in oxygen consumption with hypocapnia, returning to control values with normocapnia, was seen. It is suggested that the reduction in liver blood flow and oxygen consumption seen with passive hyperventilation is chiefly an effect of hypocapnia and is largely reversed by restoration of normocapnia.