Effect of pulmonary arterial occlusion on lung fluid and protein exchange

We examined the effects of left pulmonary arterial occlusion and reperfusion on pulmonary transvascular fluid and protein exchange in the sheep lung lymph fistula preparation. Pulmonary lymph flow (Qlym) increased from the base-line value of 5.0 +/- 0.8 to 10.0 +/- 2.1 ml/h after occlusion (P less than 0.05); the steady-state value of 11.9 +/- 2.2 ml/h during reperfusion was not significantly different from the value during occlusion. The lymph-to-plasma protein concentration ratio (L/P) did not change significantly during either occlusion or reperfusion. Transvascular protein clearance (Qlym X L/P) increased from 3.7 +/- 0.6 to 8.4 +/- 2.1 ml/h during occlusion (P less than 0.05) and remained elevated at 8.6 +/- 1.7 ml/h during reperfusion. The sustained increases in Qlym and protein clearance could not be explained by the 3-Torr increase in mean pulmonary arterial pressure during the occlusion period or by an increase in the interstitial protein concentration caused by a period of decreased filtration during occlusion. The increases in protein clearance that occurred with increased Qlym during occlusion and reperfusion were greater than the increases in protein clearance with comparably increased Qlym during left atrial hypertension. The results suggest that occlusion of a pulmonary artery increases vascular permeability to plasma proteins in the lung.