Effective pulmonary capillary pressure in experimental myocardial ischaemia

Effective pulmonary capillary pressure and extravascular lung water were investigated in dogs (n = 9) with normal heart function and after development of acute myocardial ischaemia. During control, no impairment of cardiopulmonary performance was observed. Extravascular lung water was in the normal range (8.1 +/- 2.8 ml.kg-1) and the effective pulmonary capillary pressure accounted for 1.36 +/- 0.53 kPa (10.2 +/- 4 mmHg). No correlation between extravascular lung water and effective pulmonary capillary pressure was observed (r2 = 0.347, P = 0.06). Arterial (RPA) and venous pulmonary resistance (RPV) were 70 +/- 15% and 30 +/- 6%, respectively. Acute myocardial ischaemia was induced by one stage occlusion of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery; measurements during the ischaemia phase were performed 60 min following LAD occlusion. Myocardial ischaemia resulted in moderate changes of cardiac output, heart rate and left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. Oxygenation deteriorated, but no hypoxaemia occurred in any animal and CO2 elimination remained unchanged. Extravascular lung water was elevated (16.5 +/- 7.9 ml.kg-1, P < or = 0.01), and effective pulmonary capillary pressure was higher when compared with the control state (2.32 +/- 1.05 kPa (17.4 +/- 7.9 mmHg), P < or = 0.01). There was a significant correlation between both parameters (r2 = 0.528, P < or = 0.05). Longitudinal distribution of pulmonary vascular resistance was altered, and RPA decreased to 60 +/- 13% (P < or = 0.05), while RPV increased to 40 +/- 8% (P < or = 0.05). It is concluded that development of lung oedema is related to elevated effective pulmonary capillary pressure in dogs with acute myocardial ischaemia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)