Carotid sinus baroreceptor reflex control and epinephrine. Influence on capacitive and resistive properties of the total pulmonary vascular bed of the dog

To quantify the importance of the carotid sinus baroreceptor reflex and the interaction with epinephrine infusion on total pulmonary vascular capacity and resistance, I have simultaneously measured total pulmonary vascular compliance, changes in pulmonary blood volumes, and changes in resistances in seven sodium pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs. A preparation was used that bypasses the right and left hearts allowing for the simultaneous measurement of the pulmonary as well as the systemic vascular bed parameters. At intrasinus pressures of 50, 125, and 200 mm Hg, without epinephrine infusion, the pulmonary vascular resistance was 0.134, 0.121, and 0.109 mm Hg/(ml per min per kg) and the systemic vascular resistance was 1.21, 0.87, and 0.63 mm Hg/(ml per min per kg). Epinephrine infusion of 1 μg/min per kg at each intrasinus pressure caused the resistances of both vascular beds to increase. Pulmonary vascular resistance increased to 0.157 mm Hg/(ml per min per kg) and showed no further changes with changes in ISP. However, systemic vascular resistance did decrease from 1.49 to 1.41 and 1.25 at intrasinus pressures of 50, 125, and 200 mm Hg. During control runs, pulmonary vascular capacity changed 1.06 ml/kg and systemic capacity changed 7.63 ml/kg for ISP changes between 50 and 200 mm Hg. Both responses were greatly attenuated after epinephrine infusion and amounted to only 0.17 ml/kg for the pulmonary and vascular bed and 2.26 ml/kg for the systemic vascular bed. The differences in capacity changes between control and epinephrine runs for the two vascular beds were nearly equal to the change in capacities brought about by epinephrine when it was infused at a fixed intrasinus pressure of 125 mm Hg. The pulmonary vascular compliance during the control runs increased from 0.303 to 0.329 ml/mm Hg per kg when ISP was increased from 50 to 200 mm Hg. After epinephrine infusion, the pulmonary compliance was 0.273 ml/mm Hg per kg and showed no changes with intrasinus pressure. Similar results were obtained for the systemic vascular compliance which was 2.07 ml/mm Hg per kg at an ISP of 50 mm Hg and increased to 2.39 ml/mm Hg per kg at an ISP of 200 mm Hg during control runs. After epinephrine infusion, the systemic complicance was 1.89 ml/mm Hg per kg and again showed no changes with ISP. These data indicate that the baroreceptor reflex can exert control of pulmonary and systemic vascular resistance and capacitance and epinephrine can greatly attenuate the reflex control of both vascular beds.