HOMEPRODUCTSCOMPANYCONTACTFAQResearchDictionaryPharmaSign Up FREE or Login

From the Journal archives: Understanding the mechanism(s) regulating hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction: how an early study has led to novel translational approaches.

Abstract
Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV) is a fundamental physiological process whereby ventilation/perfusion matching is optimized through the constriction of the pulmonary circulation supplying poorly ventilated lung units. In their 1981 paper in the Journal, Noble, Kay, and Fisher used a series of animal experiments to show that alveolar carbon dioxide (CO2) plays a critical role in the regulation of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. At physiological concentrations, CO2 potentiates the HPV response, and the absence of alveolar CO2 blunts HPV. The enhancement of HPV by CO2 resulted in reduced perfusion of specific hypoxic lung regions, thereby improving systemic oxygenation in lung-ventilated dogs.
AUTHORS:
William H. Noble, J. Colin Kay, Joseph A. Fisher
CITATION:
Can Anaesth Soc J 1981; 28: 422-30.
PURPOSE:
To determine the dominant effect of variations in alveolar carbon dioxide tension on hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction.
PRINCIPAL FINDINGS:
The group found that 1) increasing alveolar carbon dioxide concentrations enhanced hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction; 2) this enhancement improved oxygenation in ventilated dogs with regional alveolar hypoxia; and 3) this enhanced oxygenation was not due to increased cardiac output.
CONCLUSIONS:
Increased alveolar carbon dioxide enhances hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. In clinical scenarios where hypoventilated or hypoxic lung regions exist, e.g., one-lung ventilation or lung consolidation, permissive hypercapnea may improve oxygenation.
AuthorsNeil M Goldenberg, Gregory M T Hare
JournalCanadian journal of anaesthesia = Journal canadien d'anesthesie (Can J Anaesth) Vol. 61 Issue 2 Pg. 195-9 (Feb 2014) ISSN: 1496-8975 [Electronic] United States
PMID24277112 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Comment)
Chemical References
  • Carbon Dioxide
Topics
  • Animals
  • Carbon Dioxide (physiology)
  • Hypoxia (physiopathology)
  • Lung (blood supply)
  • Vasoconstriction

Join CureHunter, for free Research Interface BASIC access!

Take advantage of free CureHunter research engine access to explore the best drug and treatment options for any disease. Find out why thousands of doctors, pharma researchers and patient activists around the world use CureHunter every day.
Realize the full power of the drug-disease research graph!


Choose Username:
Email:
Password:
Verify Password:
Enter Code Shown: