Increases in lung lymph and albumin clearance with ethchlorvynol

Abstract

Anesthetized dogs were studied with right lymph duct (RLD) preparations and measured lymph flow, albumin concentrations in lymph (L) and plasma (P), pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (PCWP). I.v. injection of ethchlorvynol (15-25 mg/kg) was followed by significant (P < 0.02) increases in right lymph duct flow from 0.9 .+-. 0.3 to 5.4 .+-. 1.6 ml/h with stable PAP, PCWP and L/P albumin (0.8 .+-. 0.05 and 0.9 .+-. 0.1). Similar results in RLD flow were obtained in dogs given diphenydramine, 3mg/kg i.v. loading dose and 1.5 mg/kg per .cntdot. h infusion; 2 indomethacin, 4 mg/kg i.v. loading dose and 4 mg/kg h methylprednisolone, 30 mg;kg i.v. and cyclophosphamide (40 mg/kg i.v.) to induce leukopenia (900 WBC[white blood cell]/mm3) prior to ethchlorvynol injection. Cardiac lymph flow increased and cardiac L/P albumin remained stable. Total hemolytic complement remained normal. Lung vasculr permeability is increased after ethchlorvynol injection. Ethchlorvynol may have a direct effect on lung vascular permeability as, unlike other experimental adult respiratory distress syndrome models, complement activation, leukocytes, prostaglandins and histamine play insignificant roles. A final common pathway may not exist for all forms of increased permeability pulmonary edema.