Alveolar-capillary membrane dysfunction in chronic heart failure: pathophysiology and therapeutic implications.

Pathophysiology and treatment of alveolar–capillary dysfunction in chronic heart failure

Endothelial dysfunction and lung capillary injury in cardiovascular diseases.

Cardiac dysfunction of both systolic and diastolic origins leads to increased left atrial pressure, lung capillary injury and increased resistance to gas transfer. Acutely, pressure-induced trauma disrupts the endothelial and alveolar anatomical configuration and definitively causes an impairment of cellular pathways involved in fluid-flux regulation and gas exchange efficiency, a process well ...

Increased alveolar/capillary membrane resistance to gas transfer in patients with chronic heart failure.

OBJECTIVE To investigate pulmonary diffusive resistance to gas exchange in patients with heart failure and healthy volunteers, assessing the relative contributions of the alveolar/capillary membrane and pulmonary capillary blood. SETTING Hospital outpatient department and pulmonary function laboratory. PATIENTS 38 patients (mean age 60) receiving treatment with loop diuretics and angiotensi...

Acute saline infusion reduces alveolar-capillary membrane conductance and increases airflow obstruction in patients with left ventricular dysfunction.

BACKGROUND Impaired alveolar-capillary membrane conductance is the major cause for the reduction in pulmonary diffusing capacity for carbon monoxide (DLCO) in heart failure. Whether this reduction is fixed, reflecting pulmonary microvascular damage, or is variable is unknown. The aim of this study was to assess whether DLCO and its subdivisions, alveolar-capillary membrane conductance (DM) and ...

Lack of improvement of lung diffusing capacity following fluid withdrawal by ultrafiltration in chronic heart failure.

OBJECTIVES We sought to investigate the possibility that lung diffusing capacity reduction observed in chronic heart failure is reversible in the short term. BACKGROUND Mechanical properties of the lung usually ameliorate with antifailure treatment including drugs, ultrafiltration and heart transplantation, whereas lung diffusion rarely improves. METHODS We studied the mechanical properties...