Site of pulmonary hypoxic vasoconstriction studied with arterial and venous occlusion

We applied the arterial and venous occlusion technique in an in situ, isolated left lower lobe preparation of a dog lung to compare the effects of hypoxia with the effects of airway pressure elevation, and the infusion of serotonin, norepinephrine, and histamine. The total arteriovenous pressure drop across the lobe was partitioned longitudinally into pressure drops across the relatively indistensible arteries (delta Pa) and veins (delta Pv) and across the middle distensible vessels (delta Pm). Hypoxia increased primarily delta Pm, as did elevation of airway pressure, whereas the vasoactive drugs increased either delta Pa or delta Pv. The increases in pulmonary arterial pressure (Pa) caused by hypoxia and by elevation of airway pressure were independent of blood flow rate, but increases in Pa induced by the vasoactive drugs were dependent on flow rate. We conclude that in the dog hypoxia acts primarily on small distensible vessels, whereas pulmonary vasoactive drugs constrict the relatively indistensible arteries and veins. It is possible that the increase in pulmonary vascular resistance during hypoxia did not involve smooth muscle contraction.