Figure 4

Recruitment of blind capillaries. Adapted from Anglade and colleagues [32] with permission. Model of circulation includes four branches of pulmonary circulation lying in parallel in same horizontal plane. Flow-limiting compression point in zone 2 lung is indicated by narrowing of vascular branch. (a) OA-injured lung before the terbutaline-increase in cardiac index and PAP. (b) Filling of blind vessels in zone 1, (i.e., opened at their arterial end and obstructed at their venous end). Corresponding injured capillaries may filter considerably (arrows) because filtration pressure in these non-flowing capillaries is at the level of pulmonary arteriolar pressure. In addition steep pressure gradient observed during increased cardiac index may also move downstream the obstruction point in zone 2 lung and increase filtration surface area. OA = oleic acid; PAP = pulmonary arterial blood pressure.