Bronchial vascular occlusion does not attenuate or accentuate oleic acid lung injury in anesthetized sheep

To determine if bronchial blood flow affects the consequences of acute pulmonary vascular injury, we studied oleic acid lung injury in 12 anesthetized sheep. In six sheep (group 1), we injected 2 ml of ethanol directly into the bronchoesophageal artery to decrease bronchial blood flow. In the control sheep (group 2), we injected 2 ml of normal saline. One hour later, oleic acid (0.1 ml/kg) was injected into the right ventricle in both groups. We measured hemodynamics and lung mechanics at baseline, 1 h after injection into the bronchoesophageal artery but just before the injection of oleic acid, and 3 h after injection of oleic acid. We measured bronchial blood flow at baseline and 3 h after injection of oleic acid and extravascular lung water at 3 h after injection of oleic acid. One hour after injection of ethanol or saline into the bronchoesophageal artery, hemodynamics and lung mechanics did not change. Three hours after injection of oleic acid, systemic arterial pressure decreased, pulmonary arterial pressure increased, cardiac output decreased, dynamic compliance decreased, pulmonary resistance increased, arterial oxygen tension decreased, and extravascular lung water was greater than normal. There were no differences in these measurements between the two groups. However, bronchial blood flow decreased only in group 1. We conclude that decreasing bronchial blood flow does not attenuate or accentuate the consequences of oleic acid lung injury.