[Hypovolemia in the course of pulmonary edema in rats exposed to normobaric oxygen]

Rat exposure to pure normobaric oxygen induces a specific non alveolar pulmonary edema which leads to massive pleural exudate. This does not induce hypoxemia, and is characterized by both hypovolemia and arterial hypotension with hypothermia. Histological findings shed some light on these special aspects of oxygen toxicity. In the Rat, this toxicity results from hemodynamic changes rather than from pulmonary lesions.