Chest
Experimental ApproachesPlatelet-Mediated Pulmonary Hypertension and Hypoxia during Pulmonary Microembolism: Reduction by Platelet Inhibition
Section snippets
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Twenty-eight mongrel dogs of either sex (mean weight, 21 ± 1 kg [46 ± 2 lb]) were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium (30 mg/kg of body weight) and were allowed to breathe spontaneously of a mixture of 30 percent oxygen in nitrogen. Two polyethylene catheters (PE 200) were advanced from the femoral arteries to the descending aorta. Two catheters (PE 160) were placed in the superior vena cava via the right jugular vein, and another was placed in the pulmonary artery. A Swan-Ganz
Control Dogs
Pulmonary microembolism with 200μ glass beads increased pulmonary arterial pressure without changing pulmonary wedge pressure or cardiac output (Table 1). Pulmonary vascular resistance increased nearly threefold by five minutes after the embolism and slowly tended downward during the 30 minutes of observation (Fig 1). The PaO2 fell, and the PaCO2 rose. The arterial pH and systemic arterial pressure were unchanged.
Thrombocytopenic Dogs
In the five dogs given the platelet antiserum on the day of the experiment (more
DISCUSSION
Evidence gathered from numerous experimental approaches has indicated the importance of platelet-mediated humoral factors in experimental pulmonary embolism.3, 4, 9, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19 This possibility was first raised in 1953 by Comroe et al,20 who suggested that platelets might release serotonin during pulmonary embolism. This was further substantiated by the findings that serotonin released from platelets during the clotting of blood produced pulmonary hypertension8 and that thrombin, which
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
We wish to thank Ms. Rosann Glas, Mr. Steve Hofmeister, Mr. Bruce Hookway, Mr. Don Jackson, Ms. Bea Kaplan, Mr. Leonard Latham, Ms. Mary Munroe, and Ms. Eva Toyos for their assistance in this study. We are also grateful to Ms. Susan Konkol for the preparation of the manuscript. Sulfinpyrazone (Anturane) was supplied by CIBA-GEIGY Corp., Summit, NJ.
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Cited by (0)
Recipient of a Max Kade Research Fellowship and an award from the Perkins Memorial Fund of the American Physiological Society.
Recipient of the Senior Investigator Award from the Colorado Heart Association