Journal of applied physiology
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We sought to determine why large lung compartment hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction fails to redistribute blood flow at a low fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) level (0.06) when the remaining small lung compartment is ventilated with room air. In 10 pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs, we decreased large compartment FIO2 from 1.0 to 0.06 while the small compartment FIO2 was constant at 0.21, 0.3, 0.5, or 1.0. When small compartment FIO2 was 0.21 and 0.3, large compartment FIO2 decreases from 1.0 to 0.15-0.10 caused a disproportionate increase in large compartment pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and further large compartment FIO2 decreases from 0.15-0.10 to 0.06 caused a decrease in large compartment PVR while small compartment PVR continued to increase. ⋯ When small compartment FIO2 was 0.21 and 0.3, small compartment alveolar oxygen tension (PAO2) and PVR were always inversely related. When small compartment FIO2 was 0.21, 0.3, and 0.5, large compartment PVR either decreased or remained constant whenever mixed venous oxygen tension (PVO2) was less than 30-32 Torr and large compartment PAO2 was less than 50-60 Torr. We conclude that both small compartment hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction and primarily failure of large compartment hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction occurred when large compartment FIO2 was low (0.06) and small compartment FIO2 was 0.21 or 0.3.
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We studied the action of the costal and crural (vertebral) parts of the diaphragm on the lower rib cage in normal supine dogs. The two parts of the diaphragm were separately stimulated by electrodes directly implanted in the muscle or via the different phrenic nerve roots in the neck. The results of the experiments indicate the following. 1) The costal and crural parts of the diaphragm have a different segmental innervation and a different mechanical action on the rib cage. 2) The costal diaphragm expands the lower rib cage when it contracts. ⋯ In the intact animal at functional residual capacity, these two opposite effects cancel each other. 4) The inflationary action of both parts on the rib cage decreases progressively as lung volume increases. The findings also suggest that the rise in abdominal pressure which occurs when the diaphragm contracts expands the lower rib cage by acting through the area of apposition of the diaphragm to the rib cage. These findings also strengthen the idea that the diaphragm actually consists of two muscles.